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CRITICAL 

EXAMINATION 

OF THE 

aife Of ^t Paul. 



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TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH 



V BOULANGER. 



Paul, thou art beside thyself, much learning doth make thee mad." 

Acts, chap. 26, ver. 24. 



I II BttiaftM^iaL^l^^ai 



aoniron: 

PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY R. CARLILE, 5, WATER 
LANE, FLEET STREET. 



1823. 






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X 



INTRODUCTION. 



EPISTLE DEDICATORY TO M. L. N. 

Sir, - 

In our last conversation you appeared to me, very much 
smitten with St. Paul and his works; you recommended me 
to reperuse his writings; assuring me that I should there find 
arguments well calculated to shake incredulity and confirm 
a Christian in his faith. 

Although the actions of this celebrated Apostle, related in 
the Acts, and his doctrine contained in his Epistles, were al- 
ready perfectly known to me, yet to conform myself to your 
desires, and give you proofs of my docility, I have again read 
those works, and 1 can assure you that I have done it with 
the greatest attention. You will judge of that yourself, by 
the reflections I send you; they will at least prove to you 
that I have read with attention. A superficial glance is only 
likely to deceive us or leave us in error. The passions and 
the prejudices of men prevent them from examining with 
candour, and from their indolence they are often disgusted 
with the researches necessary for discovering truth ; that 
has also been with so much care veiled from their eyes : but 
it is in vain to cover it, its splendour will sooner or later shine 
forth; the w^orks of enthusiasm or imposture, will always 
end by betraying themselves. As for the rest, read and 
judge. You will find, I think, at least, some reasons for 
abating a little from that high opinion, that prejudice gives 
us of the Apostle of the Gentiles, and of the religious sys- 
tem of the Christians, of which St. Paul was evidently the 
true architect. I am not ignorant that it is very difficult to 
undo at one- blow the ideas to which the mind has been so 
long accustomed; but whatever may be your judgment it 
will not alter the sentiments of frieudsliip and attachment 
which are due to the goodness of your heart. 

I am, &c., &c. 



CONTENTS. 



. Chapter Page 

1. Is the conversion of St. Paul, a proof in favour of the 

Christian Religion 1 

II. The opinions of the first Christians upon the Acts of 
the Apostles, upon the Epistles, and upon the per- 
son of St. Paul 3 

III. Of the authority of Councils, of the Fathers of the 

Church, and of Tradition 8 

IV. Life of St. Paul, according- to the Acts of the Apostles 12 

V. St. Paul makes himself the Apostle of the Gentiles. 

Causes of his success 13 

VJ. St. Paul preaches in Asia minor, Macedonia, and Greece 17 

VI. Preaching of St. Paul at Corinth, and Ephesus . . 20 
VIII. The Apostle gets into embarrassment at Jerusalem, 

and is sent to Rome . 22 

IX. Reflections on the life and character of St. Paul . . 28 

X. On the enthusiasm of St. Paul 30 

XI. On the disinterestedness of St. Paul 31 

XII. On the imperious tone and political views of St. Paul 34 

XIII. On the humility of St. Paul . . ^ 37 

XiV. On the zeal of St Paul. — Reflections on this Christian 

virtue 39 

XV. On the deceptions or apostacy of St. Paul .... 42 

XVI. Hypocrisy of St. Paul 45 

XVII. St. Paul accused of perjury, or the author of the Acts 

convicted of a falsity 46 

XVIII. Examination of the miracles of St. Paul ..... 49 

XIX. Abridged analysis of the writings attributed to St. Paul 54 

XX. Of Faith. In what this Christian virtue consists . . 57 

XXI. Of the Holy Spirit. The nature of divine inspiration 60 

XXII. Of the divine inspiration of the Prophets of the Old 

Testament 63 

XXIII. Of the descent of the Holy Spirit uponthe Apostles of 

their divine inspiration 66 

XXIV. General reflections on the foundations of the faith of 

the Christians, and the causes of their credulity . 68 

Conclusion 71 



CRITICAL EXAMINATION, 



CHAP. I. 

Is the Conversion of St. Paul a proof in lavour of the Christian Religion? 

Many theologians would make us regard the miraculous 
conversion and apostleship of St. Paul as one of the strong- 
est proofs of the truth of Christianity. But in viewing the 
thing closely it appears that this conversion, far from proving 
any thing in favour of this religion, invalidates the other 
proofs of it, in fact, our doctors continually assure us that the 
Christian religion draws its strongest proofs from the pro- 
phecies of the Old Testament, whilst there is not in fact a 
single one of these prophecies that can be literally applied 
to the Messiah of the Christians. St. Paul himself willing 
to make use of these oracles of the Jewish nation to prove 
the mission of Christ, is obliged to distort them, and to seek 
in them a mystical, allegorical, and figurative sense. On the 
other side, how can these prophecies made by Jews and ad- 
dressed to Jews, serve as proofs of the doctrine of St. Pan], 
who had evidently formed the design of altering, or even of 
destroying, the Jewish religion, in order to raise a new sys- 
tem on its ruins? Such being the state of things, what real 
connection, or what relation, can there be between the reli- 
gious system of the Jews, and that of St Paul? For this 
Apostle to have had the right of making use of the Jewish 
prophecies, it would have been necessary that he should 
have remained a Jew; his conversion to Christianity evi- 
dently deprived him of the privilege of serving himself, by 
having recourse to the prophecies belonging to a religion that 
he had just abandoned, and the ruin of which he meditated. 
True prophecies can only be found in a divine religion, and 
a religion truly divine, can neither be altered, reformed, nor 
2 



Z CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF 

destroyed: God himself, if he is immutable, could not change 
it. 

In fact, might not the Jews have said to St. Paul, " Apos- 
tate that you are! you believe in our prophecies, and you 
come to destroy the religion founded upon the same prophe- 
cies. If you believe in our oracles, you are forced to believe 
that the. religion which you have quitted is a true religion 
and divinely inspired. If you say, that God has changed 
his mind, you are impious in pretending that God could 
change, and was not sufficiently wise, to give at once to his 
people a perfect worship, and one which had no need of be- 
ing reformed. On the other side, do not the reiterated pro- 
mises of the Most High, confirmed by oaths to our fathers, 
assure us, that his alliance with us should endure eternally? 
You are then an impostor, and, according to our law, we 
ought to exterminate you; seeing that Moses, our divine le- 
gislator, orders us to put to death, whoever shall have the 
temerity to prea<ih to us a new worship, even though he 
should confirm his mission by prodigies. The God that you 
preach is not the God of our fathers: you say that Christ is 
his son; but we know that God has no son. You pretend 
that this son, whom we have put to death as a false prophet, 
has risen from the dead, but Moses has not spoken of the re- 
surrection; thus your new God and your dogmas are con- 
trary to our law, and consequently we ought to hold thera 
in abhorrence." In short these same Jews might have said 
to St. Paul: " You deceive yourself in saying, that you are 
the disciple of Jesus, your Jesus was a Jew, during the whole 
of his life he was circumcised, he conformed himself to all 
the legal ordinances; he often protested that he came to ac- 
complish, and not to abolish the law; whilst you in contempt 
of the protestations of the Master, whose Apostle you say 
you are, take the liberty of changing this holy law, of decry- 
ing it, of dispensing with its most essential ordinances." 

Moreover the conversion of St. Paul strangely weakens 
the proof that the Christian religion draws from the mira- 
cles of Jesus Christ and his Apostles. According to the 
evangelists themselves the Jews were not at all convinced by 
these miracles. The transcendant prodigy of the resurrec- 
tion of Christ, the wonders since wrought by some of his ad- 
herents did not contribute more to their conversion. St. Paul 
believed nothing of them at first, he was a zealous persecu- 
tor of the first Christians to such a degree, that, according to 
the Christians, nothing short of a new miracle, performed 
/or him alone, was able to convert him; which proves to us, 



THE LIFE OF ST. PAUL. S 

that there was, at least, a time when St. Paul did not give 
any credit to the wonders that the partisans of Jesus related 
at Jerusalem. 

He needed a particular miracle to believe in those mira- 
cles, that we are obliged to believe in at the time in which 
we live, without heaven operating any new prodigy to de- 
monstrate to us the truth of them. 



CHAP. II. 



Opinions of the first Christians upon the Acts of the Apostles, and upon 
the Epistles and Person of St. Paul. 

It is in the Acts of the Apostles, and the Epistles of St. Paul, 
that we find the details of his life and the system of his doc- 
trine; but, how can we be certain of the authenticity ofthese 
works, whilst we see many of the first Christians doubt and 
reject them as apocryphal? We find, in fact, that from the 
earliest period of the church, eutire sects of Christians, who 
believed that many of the Epistles published under the name 
of this Apostle, were not really his. The Marciouites were 
confident that the gospels were filled with falshoods, and 
MarcioD, their head, pretended that his gospel was the only 
true one. 

The Mauicheans, who formed a very numerous sect at the 
commencement of Christianity, rejected as false, all the New 
Testament, and produced other writings, quite different, 
which they gave as authentic. The Cerinthians, as well as 
the Marcionites, did not admit the Acts of the Apostles. 
The Encratites and the Severians did not adopt either the 
Acts or the Epistles of St. Paul. St. John Chrjsostom in a 
homily, which he has made upon the Acts, says, that in his 
time (that is to say, towards the end of the fourth century) 
many men were ignorant not only of the name of the author, 
or of the collector of these Acts, but even did not know this 
work. The Valentinians, as well as many other sects of 
Christians accused our scriptures of being filled with errors, 
imperfections, and contradictions, and of being insufficient 
without the assistance of traditions ; this is a fact that is at- 
tested to us by St. Irenosus. The Ebionites or Nazarenes, 
who, as we shall soon see, were the first Christians, rejected 
all the Epistles of St. Paul, and regarded him as an impostor 
and hypocrite. 



4 CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF 

It" will not fail being said to us, that we ought not to rely 
on the testimony of heretics; but 1 shall reply, that in the 
matter in question, their testimony is of the same weight as 
that of the orthodox, seeing that all the different sects consi- 
der themselves as orthodox, and have treated their adversaries 
as heretics. How shall we unravel the truth if we do not 
hear both parties? By what signs shall we know those on 
whom we ought to rely? Shall we cede the cause without 
examining their adversaries, to writers who utter to us fals- 
hoods without number, who contradict each other, who are 
never agreed amongst themselves, and whose discordant writ- 
ings are nevertheless produced as proofs of what they ad- 
vance? In any other subject such a conduct would seem to 
betray a partiality or even insincerity : but in religious mat- 
ters, every thing is fair, and there is no necessity of being so 
nice. 

However that may be, it does not follow that because one 
sect has received or rejected a work, that the work itself is 
either true or false; there cannot be otherwise than a diver- 
sity of opinions between persons of different parties; their 
testimony ought to have equal weight, until the partizans of 
one sect, have been convicted of being greater cheats and 
liars, than those of the other. If we pay no regard to the 
authority of heretics, it is because they have not had suffi- 
cient power to enforce their opinions. It is powder or w^eak- 
ness which makes orthodoxians or heretics: the last are al- 
ways those who have not power enough to make their opi- 
nions current. 

What course shall we then pursue to discover on which 
side is the truth? An impartial man will no more expect to 
find it in one party than in another, thus the testimony of the 
one can have no greater weight than that of the other in the 
eye of an unprejudiced man. 

This granted, we cannot rely on the authority of Christian 
traditions which vary in all sects, and we shall be reduced to 
recur solely to reason, especially when we find that thq 
works, which are to-day regarded as authentic, have in 
other times been considered as suppositious, or apocryphal, 
by some very ancient sects of Christians, and that the 
works and writings, then regarded as apocryphal, have since 
been adopted as true. 

It appears that in the ancient churches, they read at once 
the works that we now regard as true, and those that now 
pass for suppositious, in such sort, that there is reason to 
believe they were then. held to possess equal claim to authen- 



THE LIFE OF ST. PAUL. O 

ticity: it is, at least, very difficult to demonstrate the con- 
trary in the present time. Some churches have attributed 
the same authority to false or doubtful writings as to true. 

The Roman Church to-day adopts as authentic and divine- 
ly inspired many books of the Bible, absolutely rejected by 
the Protestants. How is it possible to decide which is the 
party that deceives itself? 

By what right can w^e then affirm to-day that the works 
of St. Paul, formerly rejected by so many Christian sects, 
are authentic, that is to say, truly belong to this Apostle? 
On the other hand, how can w^e attribute to divine inspira- 
tion writings lilled with inconsistencies, contradictions, mis- 
takes, and false reasonings, in a word, which bear every cha- 
racter of delirium, of ignorance, and of fraud? I acknow- 
ledge that those who want valid proofs, always do right to 
affirm the thing, with the tone of authority; but this tone 
proves nothing, and always prejudices against those who 
lake it. Nothing is more injurious to the interest of truth, 
than the arrogance of an usurped authority. These are, 
however, the arms that are incessantly opposed to those who 
doubt of religion. It would seem that its defenders have no 
other arguments than their pretences; it is easy to feel that 
these arguments are every thing, but convincing. 

The Acts of the Apostles, adopted by the Ebionites or 
Nazarenes, relate amongst other things, that, " Paul was 
originally a Pagan, that he came to Jerusalem where he 
dwelt for some time; that being desirous of marrying the 
daughter of the High Priest he became a proselyte, and was 
circumcised; but not being able to obtain the w^oman he de- 
sired, he quarrelled with the Jews, began to write against the 
circumcision, against the observation of the Sabbath, and 
against legal ordinances." 

We know that the name of Nazarenes was the first which 
was given to the Christians. St. Epiphanius, from whom 
the preceding passage is taken, says, " that they were thus 
named because of Jesus of Nazareth," of whom they were 
the first disciples. The Jews called them Nazarenes from 
the Hebrew word Nozerim, which signifies one separated 
or excommunicated ; again they designated them under the 
name of Mineans, that is to say, heretics. They were also 
by contempt called Ebionites, which signifies poor, mendi- 
cant, weak-minded. In fact, the Hebrew Ebion, means 
poor, miserable, and we know, that the first followers of 
Christ, were every thing but opulent or intelligent men. 
The first faithful, were Jews converted by Jesus himself. 



6 CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF 

or by the most ancient xAposlIes, such as Peter, James, and 
John, who as well as their master, lived in Judaism. These 
Apostles, disciples, and new converts, differed from the Jews 
in nothing but the belief in Jesus Christ, whom they regard- 
ed as the Messiah predicted by the prophets; otherwise they 
believed themselves bound constantly to observe the Mosaic 
law, persuaded that their Messiah was come to accomplish 
and not to destroy this law. In consequence of this, they 
observed circumcision, the abstinence from certain meats, se- 
paration from the Gentiles, in a word, the Jewish rites and 
ordinances. 

Thus the first Apostles, and their adherents, were only 
Jews, persuaded that the Messiah was already come, and 
was going soon to commence his reign, which made them 
hated and persecuted as schismatics or heretics by their fel- 
low-citizens. Si. Jerome informs us, " that even down to 
his time, the Jews used to anathematize the Christians, un- 
der the name of Nazarenes, three times a day in their syna- 
gogues." 

All this evidently proves, that the Nazarenes, or Ebionites, 
were the first Christians, taught by the most considerable of 
the Apostles, and that the first Christians were only reformed 
Jews; this is clearly the only idea we can form of Christi- 
anity, such as it was taught by Jesus Christ himself. 

How then comes it that since Jesus, Christianity has been 
so separated from Judaism? a slight attention will prove to 
us that this is owing to St. Paul. Repulsed by the Jews, or 
perhaps desirous of playing a more important part, we see 
him separate himself from his brethren of Jerusalem, and 
undertake the conversion of the Gentiles, for whom the Jews 
entertained no sentiment but horror. Encouraged by his 
first successes and wishing to extend them, he dispensed the 
Pagans from the painful ceremony of circumcision ; he de- 
clared that the law of Moses, was only a law of servitude, 
from which Jesus was come to free mankind ; he pretended 
that all the old law was merely the emblem and figure of the 
new; he announced himself as the Apostle of the Gentiles, 
and leaving Peter and the other Nazarenes to preach the 
gospel of circumcision, he preached his own gospel, which he 
himself called the gospel of uncircumcision : in a word, he 
made a divorce with the Jewish laws, to which his apostolic 
brethren believed they ought to hold themselves attached, 
at least, in most respects. 

The conduct of Paul, must naturally have displeased his 
seniors in the Apostleship, but fear appears to have deter- 



THE LIFE OF ST. PAUL. 7 

mined (hem to cede, at least for a time, to our missionarjr 
who had already made a considerable party. Nevertheless 
the Acts of the i^postles and the writings of Paul, prove to 
us his quarrels with his brethren, who, according to appear- 
ances, never viewed with a friendly eye, his enterprizes and 
innovations. Moreover, Eusebius and St. Epiphanius in- 
form us, that our Apostle was regarded as an apostate, an 
impostor, and an enemy by the Ebionites, that is to say, by 
the first faithful. But" St. Paul's party having in the end 
prevailed, the Jewish law was entirel}^ banished from Chris- 
tianity, and the Ebionites, or Nazareues, though of more an- 
cient date and though formed by Christ and his first apostles 
were declared heretics. 

It is proper to remark in this place that these Ebionites, or 
first Christians, believed that Jesus was but a man, as much 
on the side of his father as on that of his mother, that is to 
say, the son of Joseph and Mary; but that he was a wise, 
just, and excellent person, thus meriting the appellation of the 
son of God, because of his holy life and good qualities; 
whence we see that the first Christians were as well as the 
first Apostles, true Socinians. But St. Paul to give, without 
doubt, more lustre to his ministry, and his adherents after 
him, willing to extol the holiness of their religion, made a 
God of Jesus, a dogma which it is no more permitted to doubt, 
especially since the partizans of Paul have become more 
numerous, and stronger than those of St. Peter aad the 
other Nazarenes, or Jewish founders of primitive Christianity, 
which thus totally changed its face as to its capital dogmas. 

Having thus become masters of ^he field of battle, Paul, his 
adherents, and the disciples formed in their school, saw them- 
selves in possession of the power of regulating belief, of in- 
venting new dogmas, of making gospels, and of arranging 
them in their own manner, of forging to themselves titles, and 
of excommunicating as heretics all those who showed them- 
selves unteachable. It is thus that the author of the Acts of 
the Apostles, only speaks, as it were, of his master, of St. 
Paul, and glances very slightly over the Acts of the Apos- 
tles of the contrary party. The same author (St. Luke) is 
presumed to have composed his gospel from the notes fur- 
nished him by St. Paul, though he had neither known nor 
seen Jesus Christ. 

Faustus, the Manichean, said on the subject of the gospels, 
" that they had been composed a long time after the Apostles,, 
by some obscure individuals, who fearing that faith would 
not be given to histories of facts with which they must ha^ve- 



8 CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF 

been unacquainted, published under the name of the xApos- 
tles their own writings, so filled with mistakes and discordant 
relations and opinions, that we can find in them neither con- 
nection nor agreement with themselves." 

A little further on he loudly accuses his adversaries, who 
had the credit of being orthodox, and says to them, " It is 
thus that predecessors have inserted in the w^ritings of our 
Lord many things w^hich, though they bear his name, do not 
at all agree with his doctrine. That is not surprising since 
we have often proved that these things have not been written 
by himself nor by his Apostles, but that for the greater part 
they are founded on tales, on vague reports, and collected 
by I know not vTho, half Jews, but little agreed among them- 
selves, w^ho have nevertheless published them under the 
name of our Lord, and thus have attributed to him their 
own errors and deceptions." 

Origen informs us, that Celsus exclaimed against the li- 
cence that the Christians of his time, had taken of altering 
many times imprudently the originals of their gospels, in or- 
der to be able to deny or to retract those things, which em- 
barrassed them. 



CHAP. IIL 

Of the Authority of the Councils, of the Fathers of the Church, 
and of Tradition. 

It is only in the Fathers of the Church, and the Councils, 
that we can find the proofs of the authenticity of the Chris- 
tian traditions, and according to the proofs which re- 
main it appears, that they only approved or rejected 
opinions, as they found them favourable or injurious to 
the interests of the party which they had embraced. Every 
ecclesiastical writer, and every assembly of Bishops, adopt- 
ed as canonical the writings in which they found their own 
particular dogmas, the others they treated as apocryphal or 
suppositious. A slight acquaintance with the writings of 
the Fathers, will show us that w^e cannot rely on them 
for any facts ; w^e shall find that their books are filled 
with negligences, tales, impertinences and falsehoods ; we 
shall see them buried in the thickest darkness of superstition 
and prejudice. Every word announces their incredulity or 
their insincerity. St. Clement the Roman, believed the 



THE LIFE OF ST. PAUL. V 

fable of the phoenix reviving from its ashes, and cites it as a 
proof of the resurrection. 

Papias, who was the master of St. Irenoeus, was, in the 
opinion of Eusebius himself, a man of weak mind, a fabulous 
author, who had contributed to lead many men into error, 
and amongst others St. Irenoeus who was bis disciple, whom 
Eusebius regards as a very credulous man, though he was 
the first ecclesiastical historian of note. It is not surprising 
that those w^ho have followed such guides have fallen into 
error. 

On the other side, we should never finish, were we to en- 
ter into a detail of the excesses committed by the Fathers of 
the Church and the Councils : their history would only 
serve to prove their ambition, their pride, their infatuation, 
their seditious spirit, their cheats, their intrigues, and their 
cruelties in the persecutions which they excited againsttheir 
adversaries. It is nevertheless on the probity and on the 
knowledge of these great personages that we are called to 
rely! It is pretended that it is from them that w^e hold the 
pure oracles of truth ; must we then take lessons of mild- 
ness, of charity, of holiness, from the writings of some fac- 
tious individuals, who were perpetually quarrelling and 
treating their adversaries with the utmost cruelty, whose 
works were filled with gall, whose conduct it is admitted 
even by their own friends and admirers, was almost always 
unjust, violent, and criminal? How can it be expected that 
we should find any point of unity in the canons and decrees 
of assemblies agitated by intrigue, discord, and animosity ? 
How can we regard as saints, and infallible doctors, as per- 
sons worthy of our confidence, perverse men, continually in- 
volved in disputations with others, and in contradictions 
with themselves ? What guide can we expect to find in 
turbulent priests whose ambition, avarice, and intriguing and 
persecuting spirit are every where visible? It is only neces- 
sary to read ecclesiastical history to be convinced that the 
picture which we have drawn of the Councils and Fathers 
is no ways exaggerated. 

On the other hand the writers and Councils on whose au- 
thority. Christians are called upon to found their belief, do, 
in all their traditions, but blindly follow and copy each other ; 
we see them devoid of the arts of reasoning, of logic, and of 
criticism ; hence their w^orks are found filled with fables, 
vulgar errors, and forgeries. Is it possible to believe the 
^traditions of such a man as St. Jerome, who in his life of 
St. Anthony, assures us that this holy man had a conference 



10 CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF 

with satyrs with goats feet? Do we not justly doubt the 
sincerity of St. Augustine, when he says, "that he had seen a 
nation composed of men, who had eyes in the middle of 
their stomachs ?" Are such authors more entitled to credit, 
thanthoseof Robinson Crusoe, and of the Thousand and One 
Nights? 

Supposing even that at the commencement of Christian- 
ity, there had been authentic books in which the actions 
and the discourses of Jesus Christ and his Apostles had been 
faithfully related, should we be justified in supposing that 
they have been handed down to us such as they were ori- 
ginally ? Prior to the invention of printing, it was doubtless 
much easier to impose upon the public than it is now, and 
notwithstanding, we see tha.t the Press gives currency to in- 
numerable falsehoods. 

The spirit of party causes every thiug to be adopted that 
is useful to its own cause. That granted, how easy was it 
for the heads of the Church, who were once the only guar- 
dians of the holy books, either from pious fraud, or a deter- 
mined wish to deceive, to insert falsehoods aud articles of 
faith, in the books entrusted to their care. 

The learned Dcdwell admits, that the books which com- 
pose the New Testament did not appear in public, until at 
least 100 Years after Christ. If this fact be certain, how 
shall we convince ourselves that they existed prior to this 
time? These books were solely entrusted to the care of the 
ecclesiastical gentry, till the third or fourth century, that 
is to say, to the guardianship of men, whose conduct was 
universally regulated by self interest and party spirit, and 
who possessed neither the probity nor knowledge requisite 
for discovering the truth, or of transmitting it in its original 
purity. Thus each doctor had the power of making such 
holy 'books as he pleased, and when, under Constantine, the 
Christians saw themselves supported by the Emperor, their 
chiefs were able to accept, and cause to be accepted as 
authentic, and of rejecting as apocryphal, such books as suited 
their interest, or did not agree vvith the prevailing doctrine. 
But were we even sure of the authenticity of the books, 
which the church of this day adopts, we are nevertheless, 
without any other guarantee of the authority of the scrip- 
tures than the books themselves. Is there a history which 
has the right to prove itself by itself? Can we rely upon 
witnesses who give no other proof of what they advance 
than their own words? Yet the first Christians have ren- 
dered themselves famous by their deceptions, their factions, 



THE LIFE OF ST. PAUL. 11 

and their frauds, which are termed pious when they tend to 
the advantage of religion. Have not these pious falsehoods 
been ascribed to the works of Jesus Christ hinaself and to the 
Apostles his successors ? Have we not, in their manner, sy- 
billine verses, which ai'^e evidently all Christian prophecies, 
made afterwards, and often copied w^ord for word into the 
Old and New Testament ? If it had pleased the Fathers at 
the council of Nice, to regard these prophecies as divinely 
inspired, what or w^ho should have prevented them from in- 
serting them into the canon of the Scriptures? And from 
that the Christians would not have failed to regard them in 
the present day, as indubitable proofs of the truth of their 
religion. 

If the Christians at the commencement of Christianity, 
gave credit to w^orks filled with reveries, such as the Shep- 
herd of Hermas, the Gospel of the Infancy, the Letter of 
Jesus Christ to Algarus, what confidence can we have in 
such of their books as remain ? Can w^e flatter ourselves, 
with having even these such as they were originally written? 
How can we at the present time, distinguish the true from 
the false, in books, in which enthusiasm,roguery and credulity 
pervade every page. 

Since the gospels themselves fail in the proofs neces- 
sary to establish their authenticity, and the truth of the facts 
which they relate, I do not see that the epistles of St. Paul, or 
the Acts of the Apostles, enjoy in this respect a greater ad- 
vantage. If the first Christians had no difficulty in attribut- 
ing works to Jesus, would they have been over scrupulous, 
in doing the same to his apostles, or in making for them 
romantic legends, which length of time has caused to pass 
for respectable books? If a body of pow^erful men, had it 
in their power to command the credulity of the people, 
and found it their interest, they would succeed, at the end 
of a few centuries, in establishing the belief that the ad- 
ventures of Don Quixote were perfectly true, and that the 
prophecies of Nostradamus were inspirations of the divinity , 
By means of glossaries, commentaries and allegories, we 
may find and prove whatever w^e desire; how^ever glaring 
an imposture may be, it may, by the aid of time, deception, 
and force, pass in the end for a truth, which it is not 
permitted to doubt. Determined cheats supported by public 
authority may cause ignorance, which is always credulous 
to believe whatever they choose, especially by persuading 
it that there is merit in not perceiving inconsistencies, con- 
tradictions, and palpable absurdities, and that there is danger 
in reasoning. 



12 CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF 

CHAP. IV. 

Life of St. Paul, according to the Acts of the Apostles. 

I HAVE thus far shewn that nothing was more destitute of 
proof than the authenticity of the books which contain the 
life and writings of St. Paul. I have shewn that the Acts 
of the Apostles, and the Epistles of St. Paul, were rejected 
by some Christian sects which subsisted from the earliest 
times of the church. It must have been seen that the opi- 
nion of the authenticity of these books was founded solely 
on traditions, to which it is very difficult to give credit, con- 
sidering the characters of those by whom these traditions 
have been transmitted. Ft is however upon such suspicious 
guarantees, that the authority of these works has been pre- 
tended to be established; it will then be necessary to admit 
them at once and without examination, or else recur to rea- 
son in order to examine for ourselves, what we ought to think 
concerning them. 

To form our ideas of St. Paul, let us then consult only 
these works, however suspected their origin may appear to 
us, which contain the detail of his life; there are no others to 
which we can have recourse. 

I The author of the Acts of the Apostles, whoever he be, 
relates the miraculous conversion of Saul, afterwards called 
Paul, in the ninth chapter. We find him already named in 
the two preceding chapters, first as approving of the death 
of St. Stephen, the first martyr for the Christian religion, 
and next as persecuting and desolating the church. Not 
contented with tormenting the Christians of Jerusalem, he 
furnished himself with letters from the High Priest which 
authorised him to seiz'e those whom he might find at Da- 
mascus; but, w^hile on the road a miracle caused him to 
change all his projects; he is suddenly surrounded by a di- 
vine light without seeing any one, he hears the voice of 
Jesus of Nazareth, who demands of him the motives of his 
persecutions. Saul trembling enquired what conduct he 
ought to pursue. Jesus tells him, that at Damascus be 
would be informed of his intentions. Our persecutor on this 
occasion is struck blind, but his heart is converted, and 
sight is miraculously restored to him by a Christian of Da- 
mascus named Ananias, who had been, by a particular re- 
velation informed of his hostile designs against the church, 
and of the great designs of God, who, of this persecutor. 



THE LIFE OF ST. PAUL. 13 

would form a vessel of electioD, that is to say, the Apostle 
of the Gentiles. ^ 

Soon after this conversion and cure, Saul is baptized and 
commences preaching Christ in the synagogues, confound- 
ing the Jews to such a degree that they came to the resolu- 
tion to take away his life. But the new missionary deceived 
their vigilance by saving himself during the night by means 
of a basket, in which he was lowered, and made his escape 
from Damascus. He returned to Jerusalem where the dis- 
ciples of Jesus were thrown into consternation at his appear- 
ance; but Barnabas presented him to the Apostles, informed 
them of his conversion, and enrolled him to their college. 
In consequence he preached the Gospel; this conduct soon 
raised troubles and persecutions against him on the part of 
the Jews, who again formed the design of putting him to 
death. But he found means of escaping from their fury 
by the assistance of some disciples who conducted him to 
Cesarea, whence they afterward sent him to Tarsus. Bar- 
nabas came and joined Saul in the latter city, whence he led 
him to Antioch. Here Saul and Barnabas remained during 
a year, they there made a great number of converts; it was 
there that the proselytes first took the name of Christians. 
To warm the zeal of the new converts, they sent for pro- 
phets from Jerusalem, one of these named Agabus predicted 
a great famine, which determined the disciples of Antioch to 
distribute alms to their brethren of Judea; Saul and Barna- 
bas were the bearers of these marks of generosity, and the 
Apostles, whom the first faithful made the depositaries of 
their riches, knew, without doubt, the price of the acquisi- 
tion that the sect had made in the person of the new mis- 
sionary ^. 



CHAP. V. 

St. Paul styles himself the Apostle of the Gentiles — Causes of his Success. 

All proves to us that Paul and his associate Barnabas found 
it much easier to convert the Gentiles than the Jews, who 
showed themselves almost always rebels to their lessons. 
The docility of the first, and indocility of the latter may be 
traced to very natural causes; the idolators were destitute 
of instruction, their priests, content with exacting from them 
their offerings and sacrifices, never thought of instructing 
* Acts of Apostles, chap. 12. 



14 CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF 

them in their religion; thus our missionaries encountered 
few obstacles in persuading them of the truth of the novel- 
ties which they came to announce to them. It was not thus 
with the Jews, who had a law, to which they were very 
strongly attached, since they were convinced that it had 
been dictated by God himself. In consequence our preach- 
ers could not make themselves listened to, but, in propor- 
tion, as the doctrine they preached agreed with the notions 
with which the Jews were previously imbued. The Apos- 
tles were therefore compelled to reason with the Jews, ac- 
cording to their own system, to shew them that the Christ 
whom they announced was the Messiah which they expected 
from their own prophets; in a word, in preaching the Gos- 
pel to the Jews, the preachers were driven into embarras- 
sing discussions, and perpetually exposed to cavils and con- 
tradictions which they had no fear of on the part of the 
Gentiles, who received without disputing the novelties which 
they broached to them, and which besides agreed well 
enough with the notions of the pagan mythology, as we 
have shewn in another work. 

On the other side also, the idolatorshad not the exclusive 
ideas of religion peculiar to the Jews; they were tolerant, 
they admitted every species of worship, and were disposed' 
to pay homage to every God that was proposed to them. 
The Hebrews were not of this disposition, they believed 
themselves alone in the possession of the knowledge of the 
true God, and rejected with horror strange Gods and wor- 
ships. 

These reflections are sufficient to explain to us the reason 
of the great success that the Apostles had in preaching to 
the GentileSjCompared with their endeavours amongst the 
Jews; they likewise show us especially the true motives of 
PauFs conduct. In fact, repulsed by the cavils and opposi- 
tion of the Jews, we see Paul and Barnabas turn themselves 
to the side of the Pagans, who listened to them with more 
attention and declared to the Jews, that God had forsaken 
them ''^. 

The Gentiles were apparently flattered by the preference; 
numbers of them adopted the religion announced to them, 
which did not hinder the Jews from exciting, against our 
missionaries, the zeal of the female devotees whose clamour 
obliged them to quit Antioch. 

From thence our two associates, after having shook the 
dust of their feet against their opposers, repaired to Iconium, 
^ Acts of Apostles, chap. xiii. ver. 45, &c. 



THE LIFE OF ST. PAUL. 15 

where they again met with opposition on the part of the 
Jews who even irritated the Gentiles against them, which 
compelled them to fly to Lystra in Lycaonia. There ac- 
cording to the Acts of the Apostles, Paul thought it neces- 
sary to perform a miracle, well knowing that nothing is more 
efficacious than a prodigy in making an impression on the 
minds of the vulgar. 

He then cured a lame man. This miracle convinced the 
idolators, who took Paul and his comrade for Gods, and 
under this idea would have offered them sacrifices. How- 
ever this wonder did not produce the same effect upon the 
Jews; these apparently regarded it as a deception, or some 
trick of which they were not the dupes. In fact we see that 
the Jews, who nevertheless yielded to no people in credulity, 
so far from being moved by Paul's miracle, that they stoned 
him as a malefactor and left him for dead. From this un- 
lucky affair he however extricated himself and returned to 
Antioch, whence he set out in order to give au account of 
the success of his mission, from which it appears that he had 
no reason for self congratulation, since, if be made a number 
of recruits for Jesus, he had succeeded at the expence of 
much personal ill usage. 

Nevertheless the Nazareues, or Ebionites, i. e. the first of 
the Jews, who had embraced the doctrine of the Apostles, 
were persuaded that the religion of Christ was merely a re- 
formed Judaism. Always attached to the practices of the 
Mosaic law, they believed themselves called upon to evince 
their zeal in its favour; in consequence of which they pre- 
tended that the Gentiles, converted by the Apostles, ought, 
like themselves, to. submit to the rite of circumcision. But 
Paul and Barnabas strongly opposed this opinion =^; they 
were well aware that so painful an operation, especially af- 
ter a certain age, would be very likely to dishearten the 
heathen whom they had drawn to their sect. But as the af- 
fair appeared very important they referred the decision to 
the Apostles who remained at Jerusalem. In consequence 
Paul and Barnabas, and also the partisans of circumcision, 
repaired thither, each with the view of maintaining their 
own opinion. The question was argued, and our two mis- 
sionaries convinced the Apostolic College of the necessity of 
freeing the Gentiles from a rite at which they revolted. 
Thus, according to the author of the Acts of the Apostles, 
(who appears to have been devoted to St. Paul's party) it 

* See Acts of Apostles, chap. xv. ver. 5 ; see also in the second chapter 
of this work what is said of the Nazareues, 



16 CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF 

was decided, that the newly converted Gentiles should be 
exempted from a ceremony which, until now, had been re- 
garded as highly essential, since it had been ordained by the 
Divinity himself. 

There is reason to beheve that the old Apostles did not 
subscribe without great reluctance to a decision which 
seemed to annul one of the capital points of the Mosaic law, 
and had the appearance of rectifying the ordinances of the 
Most High. Jesus himself in his infancy underwent the ce- 
remony of circumcision ; during his life he practised the cus- 
toms prescribed to his nation ; he formerly declared that he 
was come, not to destroy, but to accomplish the law of the 
Jews; and nevertheless we see St. Paul and his adherents, of 
their own authority, annul at one blow a ceremony of di- 
vine institution, approved of and observed by their master, 
and that for political and worldly considerations, which 
saints ought never toregard. 

However this may be, by this decision, which Paul ex- 
torted from the Apostles, it seemed from that time to give the 
signal of the schism, which in the end totally separated the 
Jews from the Christians. Nevertheless we shall soon see 
Paul, who on this occasion took in hand the cause of the 
Gentiles, prepare (resuming the old errors) and circumcise 
a disciple himself. So true it is, that the greatest saints are 
not always consistent in their opinions, nor uniform in their 
conduct. 

The Apostles having shewn so much indulgence in the ar- 
ticle of the circumcision of the Gentiles, were, however de- 
sirous of giving a kind of satisfaction to the partizans of Ju- 
daism ; with this view they prohibited the new converts from 
worshipping idols, from giving themselves up to fornication ; 
and ordered them to abstain from things strangled and from 
the blood of animals. By these means they sought to con- 
ciliate every one; the Gentiles were not circumcised, and 
submitted themselves, in part, to the ordinances of the Jews, 
who thus saw a deference always paid to the law of their 
fathers, to which they were ever strongly attached*. 

Furnished with this decision of the council of Jerusalem, 
in which the Apostles declare themselves authorised by the 
Holy Spirit, Paul and Barnabas returned to Antioch, 
whence they were desirous of visiting the towns where they 

* See Acts of Apostles, chap. xv. All seems to prove that the Apos- 
tles soon repented of the weakness they had been guilty of in ceding to St. 
Paul, for we find he formed a separate party, who preached the Gospel in 
liis own manner, that is to say, the Gospel of the uncircumcision. 



THE LIFE OF ST. PAUL. 1*7 

had already preached ; but a contest respecting the choice 
of an associate of their labours, made a breach between our 
two missionaries and caused a separation between them. 
Barnabas accompanied by Mark embarked for the Isle of 
Cyprus, whilst Paul with Silas, his new companion, tra- 
versed Syria and Cilicia to confirm in the faith those who 
had been recently converted'^. 



CHAP. VI. 

Paul preaches in Asia Minor, Macedonia, and Greece. 

Upon his arrival at Lystra, St. Paul, notwithstanding the 
indulgence of the Council of Jerusalem, thought it good 
policy to circumcise a proselyte named Timothy, who was 
born of a Gentile father and a Jewish mother. The Acts 
of the Apostles inform us of the motive of this circumcision 
(chap. xvi. ver. 3) it being done " because of the Jews which 
were in those quarters." 

Our two Missionaries now travelled over several pro- 
vinces of Asia Minor, such as Phrygia and Galatia, and yet 
we find that the Holy Ghost forbade them to announce the 
word of God in Asia. We may indeed suppose, that in this 
passage, the " Holy Ghost" is only intended to indicate 
that our missionaries themselves perceived, that it w^ould be 
dangerous for them to preach their doctrine ; for in the 
Holy Scriptures the persons of whom it speaks are always 
supposed to act from divine impulse. 

Paul had a vision, which persuaded him to go to Mace- 
donia. Being arrived at Phillippi, he preached to the 
women with such success, that he had the happiness of con- 
verting a dealer in purple, named Lydia, who, from grati- 
tude, invited them pressingly to lodge in her house. They 
were well accommodated no doubt, since devotees take 
great care of their directors; but our holy personages had 

* It ought here to be remarked, that there exists yet a Gospel of the Na- 
zarenes, the honour of which has been decreed to St. Barnabas, and in 
which Paul is roughly handled. In fact this Apostle preached, as we have 
shewn, besides uncircumcision, a doctrine very different from that of the 
Nazarenes, Ebionites, or first Christians, who, according to St. Irenoeus,- 
St. Epiphanius, and Eusebius, regarded Jesus merely as a man, the son of 
Joseph and Mary, and who was called the Sou of God, only on account of 
his virtues. This may enable us to guess at the cause of Paul's quarrel with 
Barnabas, whose Gospel insinuates that Paul was in error in teaching that 
Jesus was God. 
3 



18 CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF 

the misfortune to perform a miracle which deranged all their 
atlairs. Paul cast out the evil spirit from a damsel, who 
having a spirit of divination, brought great profit to her 
masters by soothsaying. The cure, or perhaps conversion, 
of this slave, displeased her masters, they carried their com- 
plaint to the magistrates ; the people took a part against 
our preachers, who were beaten with rods and then sent to 
prison. An earthquake retrieved their affairs, they gained 
over the gaoler whom they converted to the faith. In the 
meantime the magistrates sent him an order to release our 
prisoners. But Paul, bearing in mind the scourging they 
had received, required that the magistrates should come in 
person and release them, asserting that they were Roman 
citizens: at these words the magistrates were intimidated, 
and came with apologies to set them free, begging them to 
leave their city, which request they complied with, after 
having been to console Lydia the devout, and the brethren, 
who according to appearances did-not suffer them to depart 
empty-handed. This bad success did not discourage our 
missionaries who were aware doubtless, that they were in- 
conveniences attached to their profession. They now went 
to Thessalonica, where Paul had the good luck to make 
some proselytes both among Jews and Gentiles; be con- 
verted especially, some ladies of quality; but the hardened 
Jews were very much irritated at his successes; they endea- 
voured to apprehend Paul and Silas, but not being able to 
find them, they dragged Jason, their host, and some of the 
brethren, before the magistrates, accusing them of treason, 
and of acknowledging another king besides Csesar. 

This uproar obliged our missionaries to decamp during the 
night from Thessalonica, and take the road to Berea, where 
they were well received by the Jews, since Paul succeeded 
in convincing them that the Gospel which he announced 
was clearly predicted in their own Scriptures: there is rea- 
son to believe that this was effected by the aid of mystical, 
cabalistical, and allegorical senses, of which he so well 
knew the use, in finding in the Old Testament sufficient to 
establish whatever he was desirous of proving. 

He gained in this city a great number of recruits from 
amongst the Greek females of quality, women, according to 
St. Jerome are best fitted to propagate a sect; their levity 
makes them easily caught by novelties; their ignorance ren- 
ders them credulous; their talkativeness spreads the opinions 
with which they are imbued ; and, in short, their obstinacy 
strongly attaches them to the way of thinking they have 



THE LIFE OF ST. PAUL. 19 

once adopted. In a word we see, that in all times the 
Christian religion has been under the greatest obligations to 
women; it is to them that innovators ought especially to 
address themselves when they have opinions to establish, it 
is by their aid that fanatics and devout impostors succeed 
in giving importance to their doctrine, and sow the seeds of 
discord in societj^. It appears that in the time of Paul, 
women had the right of speaking or of prophesying in the 
church, of this, they have since been deprived, and they 
are only allovted the privilege of bawling in public, in 
favour of the systems of their holy directors, whom they 
always believe infallible, without so much as knowing the 
state of the question. The Quakers are now the only sect 
which permits women to preach^. 

The Jews of Thessalonica proceeded to trouble our 
preachers, in their apostolic labours, to such a degree that 
Paul was under the necessity of flying. He, however, took 
care to leave two missionaries at Berea, to watch over the 
flock which he had gathered. Nevertheless these soon re- 
ceived orders to join him at Athens. 

In this celebrated city the zeal of our Apostle kindled, he 
had conferences with the philosophers: desirous to learn the 
nature of the discoveries which this man had come to an- 
nounce to them, they conducted him to the Areopagus, 
there Paul harangued them and spoke to them of his God, 
in a manner something conformable to the notions already 
entertained by some of the Greek philosophers of the Divi- 
nity. To confirm his discourse he cited to them a passage 
from the poet Aratus, who nevertheless appears to suppose, 
according to the doctrine of Plato, that God is the soul of 

* There appears some little ambiguity in this paragraph, since if the 
levity of women renders them so easily susceptible to the embracing new 
opinions, the obstinacy with which they are charged in adhering to old 
ones, would seem to neutralize the opposite propensity, and like the infinite 
atti-ibutes of Justice and Mercy in the Christians' God, they would annihilate 
each other. The fact is, that the ignorant of either sex, are always the most 
credulous, and their opinions, when imbibed, are seldom to be dignified 
with any other term than prejudice. Of the great influence of woman in 
society, no one can doubt, and it is the duty of all who think, and who 
desire a reformation of the present semi-barbarous state of society, to en- 
deavour to inform and enlighten the female mind; it belongs to man to 
war against old systems, and errors rendered sacred by their antiquity, 
and perhaps to lay down some few elementary principles, founded upon a 
more rational basis, but so long as the infant mind is under the controul of 
woman, it is to her that we must look to see those principles implanted : 
it is by the aid of woman that the mass of mankind will (if ever it be 
done) be transformed from a herd of slaves, to a race of happy and intel- 
ligent beings, knowing tbeir rights, and daring to defend them. 



20 CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF 

the world. He inveighed against gods made of stone and 
metal, which did not shock the philosophers, whose ideas 
were more refined than those of the vulgar. 

Thus far our orator was attentively heard, but the sages 
of Athens would no longer listen to him, when he began to 
speak of the last judgment, and of the resurrection, which 
they regarded as an absurd and ridiculous notion. Never- 
theless me preaching of Paul was not totally useless at 
Athens, the dogma of the resurrection was no obstacle to 
the conversion of Dionysius, the Areopagite, a woman 
named Damaris, and some others. These were none of 
them shocked at this doctrine, which was so revolting to 
philosophers, who were accustomed to the study of nature, 
and who refused to adopt, without examination, such mar- 
vellous and romantic ideas. 



CHAP. VII. 

Preaching of St. Paul at Corinth and Ephesus. 

After leaving Athens our Apostle came to Corinth. It 
appears that at first he had not much success, for he took 
to his old trade of tent-making. However, he ventured to 
preach in the synagogue, where the Jews were indignant at 
his discourse: they carried him to the tribunal of the pro- 
consul of Achaia, who had sufficient prudence to refuse to 
interfere in their contests. The J^ws did not imitate his 
moderation; they ill-treated Sostenus, the chief of their 
synagogue, either for having allowed Paul to preach there, 
or for having been converted by his discourse. 

Paul, after some days, departed from Corinth, he cut off 
his hair to fulfil a vow he had made, and which apparently 
obliged him to be present at Jerusalem, in order to sacrifice 
in the temple, according to the law. Whence we see that 
our Apostle had not yet totally abandoned the Jewish reli- 
gion, and that he judged it good policy, occasionally to ma- 
noeuvre with the Jews. In fact we continually see him 
sometimes practising, and at others decrying, Judaism. 

From Jerusalem, Paul went to Antioch, where he remain- 
ed some time, but the activity of his mind soon put him 
in motion. After having crossed the high provinces of 
Asia he came to Ephesus, where he found the secret of 
uniting to his sect the disciples of St. John the Baptist, 
whom be rebaptized, and made them acquainted with the 



THE LIFE OF ST. PAUL. 21 

Holy Ghost of whom they had no idea. Having dow in- 
creased his party by these new recruits, Paul set about 
preaching in the synagogue, but finding the Jews rather 
untractabie, he withdrew himself, and separated his disciples 
from them. He then commenced teaching in a separate 
school and performing miracles to confirm his discourses; 
he cured the sick, and especially those possessed, in which 
he succeeded much better than those of the Jews, who en- 
deavoured from his example to attempt such cures. These 
miracles converted many persons. 

Nevertheless, the preaching of Paul at Ephesus gave rise 
to an affair, which had nearly proved very troublesome. 
The Goldsmiths of this city derived much profit from the 
manufacture of little silver shrines of Diana, the patroness 
of the Ephesians. These artisans were much disturbed 
with the preaching of our apostle, w^ho decried the gods, and 
might thus occasion the ruin of their trade; their clamour 
alarmed the people, and caused a great commotion; the 
public, as is generally the case, when the affair relates to 
religion, grew very violent, without knowing why. They 
comprehended, in general terms, that their religion and its 
patroness were attacked ; and there needed nothing more to 
inflame their zeal. However the town-clerk of the city 
having explained to them that their goddess was in no dan- 
ger, succeeded in calming the fury of the superstitious 
populace, and thus extricated our apostle from his emba- 
rassraents. 

Paul, however, thought proper to quit a city, in which he 
had run such a risk, and again put himself in motion. 
Arrived at Troas he recommenced preaching,, when his 
sermon, being a little too long, sent a young man to sleep, 
who fell from the third story into the street: they took him 
up for dead, when our Apostle having embraced him, assured 
them that he lived, the author of the Acts, takes this fact 
for a miracle, and tells us gravely that Paul raised a dead 
man on this occasion. 

Notwithstanding this pretended miracle, which if it had 
been true ought to have converted the whole town, Paul 
went dirfectly away, and recommenced his travels. At 
Miletus he took leave of the priests of all the adjacent 
places, after having made them a pathetic exhortation, in 
which he boasts of his humility and disinterestedness, and 
desires them to watch over the flock which he had gathered 
together by his preaching and indefatigable exertions. 



22 CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF 

CHAP. VIII. 

The Apostle gets into embarrassments at Jerusalem, and is sent to Rome. 

Paul now embarked for Jerusalem; notwithstanding his 
own presentiments, the warnings that were given him, and 
the prayers of his adherents, he was obstinately determined 
to resort to this city, where the Jews irritated by his suc- 
cesses, prepared him an unpleasant reception. He was 
welcomed by the brethren, to whom he related the progress 
of the new sect, but these informed him of the bad designs 
of the Jews, who pretended, and not without reason, that 
he taught a doctrine contrary to that of Moses. To silence 
these rumours, and to calm the anger of the populace, they 
advised him to fulfil some of the Jewish ceremonies in pub- 
lic, and to give to these acts of religion much solemnity. 

Paul consented to this counsel, but the Jews of Asia, 
were not thus duped, they knew what to keep to respecting 
the doctrine which had disgusted them ; they then excited 
the Jews of Jerusalem, by saying, that he brought the Gen- 
tiles into the Temple. All the city was soon in an uproar, 
the devout people seized Paul, drew him out of the Temple, 
the gates of which were closed against this profaner. They 
were going to kill him, had not a tribune rescued him out 
of their hands, and shut him up in a fortress, in the midst 
of the clamour of an enraged populace, which demanded 
his death. 

The Apostle ready to enter his prison, asked of the tri- 
bune permission to harangue the mob, which was granted 
after his Conductor was probably assured that he was not 
the brigand who had lately excited an insurrection in the 
country. 

In his discourse, which he pronounced in Hebrew, Paul 
related to the people the history of his miraculous conver- 
sion, nearly in the manner in which it has been narrated. 
This recital far from softening the Jews, made them lose all 
patience, especially when our Apostle told them he was 
sent to the Gentiles. They then broke silence, crying out, 
" away with such a fellow from the earth, it is not fit that 
he should live." The tribune then shut him up in prison, 
and commanded that he should be scourged, in order to 
draw from him an acknowledgment of the crime which had 
excited the fury of the Jews. Paul then declared himself 
a Roman citizen, and represented to the centurion charged 
with the execution of these orders, that it was contrary to 



THE LIFE OF ST. PAUL. 23 

lavv', thus to treat a citizen without a trial. The centurion 
informed the tribune, who was fearful of having acted with 
too much precipitation. He was desirous of knowing for a 
certainty of what he was accused by the Jews, and the next 
morning, freeing him from his chains, presented him to the 
priests and council of the nation. Paul then began to ha- 
rangue the council. He first declared that in all he had 
done, he had followed strictly the dictates of his conscience. 
At these words the High Priest gave him a box on the ear, 
at which Paul being irritated, instead of turning the other 
cheek, according to the precept of Jesus, abused the High 
Priest, treated him as a hypocrite, or whitened wall. But 
as he perceived that he had given offence by his insolence 
to a man respected by the Jews, he moderated himself, and 
alleged that he was ignorant that it was the High Priest 
whom he had thus addressed in such terms; an ignorance, 
however, which cannot fail to excite surprise, considering 
that he was a man, who must have been informed respecting 
the place where he was, and the quality of those before 
whom he was speaking. Our orator was more of an adept, 
in managing the opinions of his auditor}^: aware that the 
council was composed of Sadducees, who denied the doc- 
trine of the resurrection; and of Pharisees, who supported 
it, he knew how to profit by this circumstance, by sowing 
the seed of discord among his judges. In order to this he 
pretended that he was a Pharisee, and the son of a Phari- 
see, and asserted that they sought his life, because of his 
hope in the resurrection of the dead. 

This stratagem produced the desired effect, the Pharisees 
declared in his favour, and acknowledged his innocence, 
saying, " We find no evil in- this man, but if a spirit or an 
angel hath spoken to this man, let us not fight against God." 
The tumult increased, and the tribune fearing that the ora- 
tor would be torn in pieces, put him under a guard of 
soldiers, and carried him back to prison. 

During the following night, Paul had a vision, in which 
he thought he saw the Lord, who told him to be of good 
courage; and prophecied that he should go to Rome to 
bear witness. On the other hand forty fanatical Jews, 
made a vow neither to eat nor drink till they had assassi- 
nated Paul. This resolution had the approbation of the 
princes and priests, who, according to the clerical spirit, 
found nothing more just than assassination in order to get 
rid of an enemy. The senators also consented to this trea- 
chery. But Paul's nephew having informed him of this 



24 CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF 

plot, he made the tribune acquainted with it, who to secure 
the safety of his prisoner, and to rescue him from the fury 
of the Jews, conducted him under a good escort to Cesarea, 
and put him under the protection of Felix, the governor of 
that province. 

Paul, and his accusers, made their appearance before the 
pagan governor, who, little versed in the theological dis- 
putes of the Jews, told them that he should decide the affair 
when he was more fully acquainted with the particulars. 
However some days after, he caused the Apostle to be 
brought before himself, and his wife Drusilla, who was a 
Jewess ; they heard what he had to say to them of faith in 
Jesus Christ. But when Paul, after having preached to 
them of justice, charity, and repentance, spoke of the last 
judgment, they were afraid, and ordered him to retire, post- 
poning the hearing till a future time. Felix hoping to draw 
some money from his prisoner, often sent for him to con- 
verse with him. This conduct lasted two years, at the end 
of which period this Governor was replaced by Festus. 

The Jews proceeded to accuse Paul before the new go- 
vernor, and demanded that he should be sent to Jerusalem. 
The accused, well knowing that the place of this scene 
would be unfavourable to him, and fearing that Festus 
w^ould yield to the importunities of his enemies, appealed 
from him to Csesar. This appeal suspended all proceedings. 
However Festus having spoken of his prisoner to King 
Agrippa, who had the curiosity to see a man that had made 
so much noise in Judea. Paul appeared before this prince, 
justified himself from the accusations brought against him, 
and finished by preaching the resurrection of Jesus Christ. 
This doctrine appeared so strange to Festus that he did not 
doubt a moment of his being deranged. However as folly 
did not seem to him a crime worthy of death, he would in- 
stantly have acquitted him, had he not made an appeal to 
Caesar. In consequence of this appeal, Paul was put on 
board a ship about to sail for Italy. After many difficulties 
he was shipwrecked on the coast of the isle of Malta, 
where the author of the Acts, from whom we have taken 
- this narrative, does not fail to make him perform miracles, 
a necessary seasoning to legends. 

Amongst other wonders which Paul wrought in the isle 
of Malta, he cured himself, in a very natural manner, of 
the bite of a viper ; in fact, it appears that he applied fire 
to it immediately, a simple and well known remedy, but 
which was such a prodigy in the eyes of the poor Maltese, 



THE LIFE OF ST. PAUL. 26 

that they took him, who was in possession of so fine a 
secret, for a God-'^. There was apparently nothing more 
wonderful in the Apostle curing the son of his host, whom 
he found ill of a fever and dysentery; disorders which we 
find yield to very simple remedies. Still this cure gained 
Paul great reputation, they soon brought him a great num- 
ber of sick, who, according to our hKstorian, he did not fail 
to cure. They rendered him great honours, furnished him 
with the necessary provisions for his voyage, and he em- 
barked for Italy. 

Upon his arrival at Rome, Paul was permitted to confer 
with the Christians, and to preach to the Jews, whom he 
endeavoured to convert to the faith of Christ by the law of 
Moses and the prophets, which he had the talent of applying 
wonderfully to his views: Some smitten with the mystical, 
cabalistical, and allegorical explications, that our Apostle 
gave them, adopted his opinions, while many others resisted 
his arguments. 

Indignant against the latter, he told them that their hard- 
ness of heart had been predicted by Isaiah; he then gave 
them to understand, that God had formed the "project of 
blinding them, in order to have a fair pretext for rejecting 
them, and transferring to the Gentiles, the light and salva- 
tion of which the Jews had made themselves unworthy, by 
the obstinacy in which it was the will of God that they 
should persist. 

This conduct of the Divinity must doubtless have ap- 
peared very strange to the Jews. So the Acts inform us, 
that there arose from these preachings of Paul, great contests 
among them. They turned apparently upon predestination 
and grace; questions upon which Christian theologians, 
have not after eighteen centuries been able to come, either to 
an understanding or agreement. 

It appears that notwithstanding the obscurity of his doc- 
trine our Apostle succeeded in gaining proselytes to his sect; 
this obscurity itself, has charms for many persons, who be- 
lieve that a doctrine, is so much the more marvellous or 
divine, as it is above the power of the understanding. He 
preached during two years to the Romans, without any 
person throwing obstacles in his way, and thus laboured to 
spread this religion in the capital of the world. 

The Acts of the Apostles, which the church orders us to 
receive as of divine inspiration, informs us nothing more. St. 

* Acts chap, xxviii. ver. 3 — 6. 



26 . CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF 

Luke to whom this work is generally attributed, has trans- 
mitted to us, neither the actions, miracles nor death of his 
heroes. We are reduced to seek our information thereupon 
from traditions, which the interests of the clergy would wish 
us to regard, almost as sacred as divine inspirations. Ac- 
cording to these respectable traditions, our Apostle shed his 
blood for the faith in the propagation of which he had la- 
boured; he was, say they, beheaded in the reign of Nero, 
and in the sixty-sixth year of the Christian era. 

After what has been said, we ought naturally to regard 
St. Paul as the true founder of the pontifical see of Rome. 
Nevertheless certain traditions, useful to the Roman Pontiffs, 
oblige us to believe that it was St. Peter, who established 
his throne in the capital of the world; the popes have 
thought, that their interests required, that they should pass 
for the authorized successors of this Prince of the Apostles, 
to whom Christ himself according to the Gospel, granted 
immense rights and privileges. These traditions then make 
St. Peter travel to Rome, prior to St. Paul, and only regard 
the latter as the subaltern associate in the Apostolic labours 
of the former. 

Nevertheless some critics have ventured to doubt of the 
reality of St. Peter's voyage to Italy, and his foundation of 
the first see in the world, some authors otherwise very or- 
thodox, without regarding the interests of the Pope, or res- 
pect for the traditions which favour them, have treated those 
pretensions as chimeras: as to the heretics, the sworn ene- 
mies of the authority of the Roman Pontiff, they have as- 
serted, that the voyage of St. Peter to Rome was a fable 
invented by the supporters and partizans, with a design to 
exalt his authority. Both parties found their doubts or 
assertions upon these grounds. First, That the books which 
the church considers as inspired, make no mention of the 
voyage of Simon Peter, although the circumstance of going 
to plant the faith in the capital of the world, was sufficiently 
remarkable to claim a notice in preference to all the minor 
cities, which the Acts inform us that he visited to preach; 
in fact, the Holy Ghost, or St. Luke his organ, wishing to 
inform us in this history of the means made use of by God, 
to propagate the Gospel, could not without injustice, omit 
such a signal success, nor fail to give the honour of it to St. 
Peter, in case he had a claim to it. 

Secondly, St. Paul who was at Rome at the same time, that 
Peter was supposed to have been there, never once mentions 
this Prince of the Apostles, in the epistles to the faithful at 



THE LIFE OF ST. PAUL. 27 

diflPerent places, while he speaks to them of many other dis- 
ciples of much less consideration than his illustrious colleague : 
we ought piously to suppose that if St. Peter had really 
established the faith at Rome, the Apostle of the Gentiles 
would have been too equitable to ravish from him the glory, 
that must have accrued to him from so fine a conquest. 

Thirdly, Our two Apostles, after the disputes, which they 
had at Antioch would not have been desirous of meeting, or 
exhibiting in the same place. St. Peter would naturally 
avoid a haughty colleague, who resisted him to his face, and 
who publicly reproved him in a manner sufficiently disa- 
greeable. Besides Rome being a pagan city, naturally fell 
into the department of the Apostle of the Gentiles. In short 
according to the Acts of the Apostles, St. Paul was too hasty 
to agree long with an associate greater than himself. His 
quarrel with Barnabas, for a slight difference, proves that 
Paul was easily irritated. 

Fourthly, St. Peter wrote his first epistle from Babylon, 
and not from Rome. It is true that the advocates of this 
voyage of Peter's, pretend that Babylon is the same city as 
Rome, but this is a geographical error, that without a great 
share of faith can never be admitted for a truth. Again, the 
city of Babylon in Syria, no longer existed in the time of 
Peter, there was then only a Babylon in Egypt; it is only 
there that we can suppose Peter to have written this first 
epistle. 

Fifthly, The traditions which make St. Peter travel to 
Rome, are filled with fables, w^hich make them very suspi- 
cious, such as his dispute with Simon the magician, who 
having raised himself into the air, by virtue of his art, fell 
down and broke his limbs by virtue of the Apostles prayers. 
We may also place in the list of fables, the apparition of 
Christ to Peter, when he fled from Rome, and his crucifix- 
ion with his head downwards. These facts are related 
neither by inspired authors, nor eye witnesses, they are 
founded on traditions only, that is to say, popular rumour, 
which many persons do not respect so much as the Pope, 
and the clergy seem to desire. 

At the risk then of " uncovering Peter to cover Paul" we 
say that all these reasons, seem at least to authorize a doubt 
respecting the voyage of St. Peter to Rome, at any rate the 
Acts of the Apostles appears to insinuate that Paul was the 
true founder of the see of Rome. He must then be regarded 
as the first Pope. Besides the popes have adopted his max- 
ims, and faithfully imitate his policy in many respects; this 



28 CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF 

would easily be proved by comparing the almost constant 
principles of the church of Rome, with those of our Apostle, 
which we shall soon have occasion to examine. 



CHAP. IX. 

Reflections on the Life and Character of St. Paul. 

Such is in a few words the life of St. Paul whom we are 
justly entitled to regard as the principal founder of the 
Christian Religion. In fact it appears that without him, 
the ignorant and rude disciples of Jesus, would never have 
been able to spread their sect. In order to succeed they re- 
quired a man of greater information and activity, more 
enterprising and enthusiastic, and possessing more dexterity 
than any of those, who composed the apostolic college, 
before it was joined by Paul. In him we see all those qua- 
lities united, which made him. of all others, the most fitted to 
lay the foundation of a new sect. He knew how to profit 
by the lessons he had received from Gamaliel ; from him he 
had acquired a profound knowledge of the Jewish Scriptures, 
and learnt the art of explaining them iTi an allegorical sense, 
or, in other words, the Cabala by which we may find in 
these books whatever we desire. 

It can hardly be doubted that our Apostle, possessed much 
energy and ambition. We first see him persecuting the dis- 
ciples of Jesus with ardour; and with the view of gaining 
his ends, and making court to the priests, stoop to the trade 
of informer and spy. Apparently he expected by these 
means to advance himself, but seeing the futility of these 
ambitious hopes, and probably despised and neglected even 
by those whom he had thus zealously served; he changes 
his batteries, threw himself upon the enemies side, and see- 
ing the abilities of those whom he found at the head of the 
new sect, he felt how easily he could eclipse them, and con- 
stitute himself the chief. 

There is reason to believe that these were the true motives 
of Paul's conversion ; a mind of his stamp in declaring itself 
on the side of the new sect, at once satisfied its vengeance 
and ambition. It was then very easy for Ananias to make 
him listen to reason. The apostles were not slow in disco- 
vering the value of their new acquisition ; they acknow- 
ledged the superiority of such a man; they foresaw the 
advantages the rising sect would derive from his knowledge. 



THE LIFE OF ST. PAUL. 29 

his active and persevering genius and intrepidity of charac- 
ter. Thus we see the new Apostle, from the moment that 
he was enrolled in the Apostolic College, perform the prin- 
cipal part, and throw his coadjutors completely in the shade. 
These contented with preaching at Jerusalem, seldom 
showed themselves at a distance from this city, whilst our 
hero, continually traversed the provinces, made spiritual 
conquests, and strengthened in a hundred places the cause of 
the disciples of Christ, now become his own. In a word 
Paul now becomes the soul of his sect; his enthusiasm ex- 
tends itself; he braves danger when it is necessary to in- 
crease the number of his partizans ; his ambition is flattered 
by the empire that he has gained; crosses, fatigues, impri- 
sonments, and blows are not capable of abating his ardour; 
determined to succeed at any cost he sacrifices every thing 
to the desire that he has of extending those opinions, which 
give him the power of reigning over the minds of men. He 
knew well that no empire upon earth is more grateful or 
stronger than that of opinion. 

Nothing appears that ought to induce us to regard the 
activity, obstinate constancy, and courage of Paul as mira- 
culous or supernatural effects. We find the same zeal, and 
frequently the same intrepidity and obstinacy in all those 
strongly animated by ambition or any other passion. Ob- 
stacles but serve generally to irritate energetic minds, more 
and more, they make a merit of braving dangers ; torture, 
and even death, cannot restrain those who are thoroughly 
enamoured with any object in which they have placed their 
happiness. 

St. Paul has been held up to us as a man divested of all 
personal views. His humility, constancy, disinterestedness, 
and patience, have been advanced, as undoubted proofs of 
his sincerity, and pure zeal for his religion. But w^e say 
that all these things prove nothing but his violent desire for 
success. The preachers of an infant and oppressed sect, 
destitute of power, must always announce themselves with 
much suppleness, mildness and humility ; an ambitious man 
must in order to gain men's hearts, effect much moderation 
and appear disinterested ; besides he is sure of losing nothing, 
when he shall succeed in establishing his empire over the 
mind. Do devotees ever neglect their spiritual guides? In 
short patience and constancy are necessary in all enterprises; 
every man who would crown a great adventure with suc- 
cess, ought to avoid hastiness. Nevertheless if we turn to 
the history of St. Paul, we shall see that patience was not 



30 CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF 

always his ruling virtue; he very often spoiled his plans by 
his eagerness, and especially he alienated the minds of the 
Jews, rather than converted them to his opinions. He 
would perhaps have succeeded much better with them, had 
he kept a better government over his impetuous temper, at 
which it appears his coadjutors often revolted. Devotees 
generally mistake that for zeal, which is but a vice in their 
character, and an imprudence in their conduct. The bitter 
reply that Paul made to the High Priest, proves that our 
Apostle was not excessively enduring, and forgot, at least, 
on some occasions his Christian patience. 



CHAP. X. 

Of the Enthusiasm of St. Paul. 

It appears certain that this apostle was filled with enthu- 
siasm and zeal. It will perhaps be asked whether we have 
a right to regard him as an impostor? a thousand examples 
prove to us, that nothing is more common, than to witness 
enthusiasm, zeal and imposture united in the same person. 
The most sincere enthusiast is generally a man whose pas- 
sions are turbulent, and capable of blinding him ; he takes 
his passions for divine impulses, he deludes himself, and 
if we may be allowed the expression, gets intoxicated with 
his own wine. A man who at first engages in a particular 
cause from motives of interest, or ambition, very frequently 
finishes by attaching himself to it with sincerity and with 
strength proportioned to the sacrifices he may have made 
for it. If he succeed in persuading himself, that the cause 
of his passions is the cause of God, he will make no scru- 
ple of supporting it by all sorts of means , he wll sometimes 
allow the use of artifice, deceit, and oblique ways of main- 
taining the opinions of which he happens to be convinced. 
It is thus we daily see very zealous devotees, employ decep- 
tion, fraud, and sometimes crime, in support of the interests 
of religion, i. e. of the cause they have embraced. 

Thus although in the first instance the desire of being re- 
venged on the priests, or ambitious views, may have deter- 
mined St. Paul to join the sect of Christians, he might have 
been able by degrees to attach himself strongly to it, to per- 
suade himselfthat it was preferable to the religion of the 
Jews, and to employ objectionable means, in order to make 
it succeed in the world. 



THE LIFE OF ST. PAUL. * 31 

The examination that now remains for us to make of 
some features in the conduct of our apostle, and of some 
passages in the writings which are attributed to him, will 
serve better than any reasoning to determine the judgment, 
we ought to come to respecting this person. Let us then 
hear what he has to say for himself. This analysis will 
shew us whether Paul was so sincere, disinterested, humble, 
mild, and upright as his partizans, maintain him to have 
been. 

St. Paul in speaking of himself says: " That he knew a 
man who was caught up into the third heaven, and that 
there he heard unspeakable words, which it was not lawful 
for man to utter ^." It appears in the first place that no 
one but a man of a very heated imagination could with sin- 
cerity pretend to have been caught up into the third Hea- 
ven; and no one but an impostor, could assert such a fact 
without being persuaded of it. In the second place we may 
ask of what use could it be to mankind that St. Paul 
should hear in the third heaven, unspeakable words, that is 
to say, such as it was unlawful for man to utter? What 
should we think of a man who should come and assure us, 
that he possessed a secret most important to our happiness, 
but yet one which he was not permitted to divulge? 
Thus the voyage of St. Paul is either a chimera engendered 
by a sickly brain, or a fable, contrived by a cheat, who 
sought to make himself respected by boasting of the peculiar 
favours of the almighty. This voyage then was perfectly 
useless, since it was not permitted him who made it to relate 
that which he learnt from it. In short there is malice in St. 
Paul thus irritating the curiosity of his hearers and refus- 
ing to satisfy it. Under whatever point of view then we 
behold this history or tale of Paul's ravishment into the third 
heaven, it can be of no utility to us, and reflects but little 
honour upon himself. 



CHAP. XI. 

Of the Disinterestedness of St. Paul. 

In narrowly examining into the conduct of our Apostle, we 
shall have much difficulty in discovering that disinterested- 
ness with which his partizans are so desirous of investing 
him. We have already exposed the natural motives which 

* g Corinthians, chap, xii. ver. 2, 3, 4. 



S2 CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF 

may have contributed to his conversion. If it be true as 
the Acts of the Apostles, adopted by the Ebionites or 
Nazarenes, asserts, that St. Paul flattered himself with the 
idea of marrying the high priest's daughter, and failed in 
the project, the disappointment might to a man of his pas- 
sionate and hasty temper, be a motive sufficient to determine 
him to change sides, and from being as we have shewn him 
to have been the spy and satellite of the priests, basely seek- 
ing to gain their good will, by becoming the agent in their 
furies against the disciples of Jesus; to declare himself in 
favour of those, who were their greatest enemies. It was 
perhaps the ill success of Paul's amours, that determined 
him to a life of celibacy, and to boast of it as meritorious, 
whilst according to the Jewish law, nothing was held in less 
repute than this state. This holy man would doubtless 
transform into a virtue, a conduct, which in him was no- 
thing but chagrin and ill temper. He asserts that it is good 
for men to abstain from women ; consequently our clergy 
have regarded celibacy as a virtue : they have fancied 
themselves obliged to imitate the great St. Paul even in his 
resentments against the sex. They have flattered themselves 
with the idea of beiag able to resist like him the temptations 
of the flesh, which often torments them ; if they have indul- 
gently permitted marriage to the profane, it is because Paul 
has said, it is better to marry than to burn. 

It is notwithstanding probable that the coaversion of St. 
Paul was occasioned by other motives than the anecdote re- 
lated by the Acts of the Ebionites, which appears exposed to 
many objections. In fact, according to these Acts, Paul was a 
pagan born, was made a proselyte, and consequently he 
could not, without having been guilty of great folly, pretend 
to the daughter of a high priest, whose digoity was so emi- 
nent amongst the Jews. On the other hand according to 
the writings adopted by the Christians of our time, St. Paul 
was of the tribe of Benjamin, and would not have been per- 
mitted to marry the daughter of a high priest, who must' 
necessarily have been of the tribe of Levi. Again Paul was 
a mechanic, a tent-maker, a situation which must have de- 
prived him of all hope of an alliance so illustrious as that of 
a sovereign Pontiff. Thus unless we suppose that love had 
totally blinded our hero, to the obstacles which naturally 
opposed themselves to his desires, there is reason to believe 
that his conversion, or change of party, originated from other 
motives, than the chagrin of seeing his amours frustrated. 

There is reason to believe that Paul being of a very 



THE LIFE OF ST. PAUL. 33 

unquiet genius, was tired of his trade: desirous of trying bis 
fortune, and Jiving without work, he became the spy of the 
priests and the informer against the Christians. Dissatisfied 
with the priests, who perhaps had not rewarded him to the 
extent of his expectations, he joined the new sect, which as- 
sisted by his talents promised good success, or even a proba- 
bility that he might become the head ; at least he might fairly 
calculate on an easy and honourable subsistence without 
being obliged to make tents. In fact he saw, that the apos- 
tles, who were vulgar men much inferior to himself, lived 
very well at the expence of the new converts, who eagerly 
brought their wealth and laid it at the apostles feet, conse- 
quently Paul was sensible, how easy it was for him to live 
in the same way, and provide himself a very comfortable 
birth, in a sect, in which he felt himself capable of playing 
a very important part. His ambition must have been more 
gratified with occupying one of. the firstposts, even amongst 
beggars, than of cringing in an infamous and dishonourable 
capacity, under avaricious, haughty and disdainful priests. 
Indeed Paul himself tells us that he had relations of consi- 
derable note among the apostks, who having embraced the 
faith before him, might have laboured with success for the 
conversion of a man so disposed.^ 

The persecutions that he had excited against the disciples 
could not have put any very serious obstacles in the way 
of his admission into the apostolic college: nothing was re- 
quired but to explain and agree upon facts. The chiefs of the 
sect were very much flattered at seeing the conquest made by 
their party ofan inconvenient adversary, who came of his own 
accord, and offered his services. His conversion, effected 
by a miracle, did honour to his mission, and showed the 
vulgar the protection of heaven, which changed the heart of 
the most bitter enemy of the Christians. As Paul v\as not 
ignorant that in this sect great value was set upon miracles, 
visions and revelations, he thought this was the most favour- 
able door by which he could enter, and render himself ac- 
ceptable to the x^postles ; they received him with open arms 
well assured of the sincerity of a man who after having 
made such an uproar could not recede without making him- 
self equally odious both to Jews and Christians. St Paul 
amongst other talents which rendered him g, fit person to 
propagate the new religion, understood, according to appear- 
ances, Hebrew, Greek, and Latin, whilst in spite of the gift 

* Epis. to Romans, chap. xvi. verse 7. 



34 CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF 

of toDgues, we do not find, that the other apostles possessed 
these advantages. In fact we see them remain at Jerusalem, 
preaching to the Jews only, whilst the new apostle extend- 
ed his spiritual conquests, into the provinces of Asia and 
Greece, where it appears that without him the Gospel 
would not have been preached so soon. 

Once connected with the new sect, Paul had doubtless a 
great interest in spreading it, in strengthening his party, 
and making converts in order to gain support, and have 
the pleasure of reigning over a great number of devotees. 
Thus, under every point of view, we see that our Apos- 
tle, whether in his conversion, or in his preaching, was 
every thing but negligent of his interest. All missionaries 
have necessarily ambition; they propose to themselves the 
pleasure of governing minds, and every thing proves that 
Paul was not exempt from a passion inherent in all founders 
of sects. And further having once established his ecclesias- 
tical power, we often see him taking care of his temporal 
interests, and making his flock feel how just it is that the 
priest should live by the altar; in a word to occupy 
himself with the emoluments of his preaching. " Let him," 
says he, " that is taught in the word communicate unto him 
that teacheth in all good things. ^" He speaks in the same 
tone to the Thessalonicans (^chap. v. ver. 12.) He likevvise 
recommends them an abundant charity. 

It remains to be observed, St. Paul is not like his successors 
ungrateful for the benefits which he has received. He thanks 
the Philippians for having twice assisted him in his need. 
It appears that in his time the Apostles did not possess the 
divine right that men had the goodness to give them: but 
the clergy have since asserted that they hold from God alone, 
that which they obtained from the generosity of princes and 
people, which evidently frees them from the necessity of 
showing gratitude to any one. 



CHAP. XII. 

Of the imperious Tone and political Views of St. Paul. 

It appears by the writings attributed to Paul himself that 
the empire which he exercised over the members whom he 
had added to his sect, was not one of mildness. In proof of 
this, may be cited the manner in which this spiritual despot 

* Epis. tf) Ofilatians, chap. vi. ver. 6. 



THE LIFE OF ST. PAUL. 35 

speaks to the faithful of Corinth. " Moreover (says he) I 
call God for a record upon my soul, that to spare you, I 
came not as yet into Corinth."-'^ Again, " For to this eod also 
did I write, that 1 might know the proof of you, whether 
ye be obedient in all thingst- He threatens the Corinthians, 
and says to them, " If 1 come again I will not spare." 
Again he justifies the tone in which he talks, by saying, 
" Therefore I write these things being absent, lest being 
present I should use sharpness, according to the power which 
the Lord hath given me to edification, and not to destruc- 
tion. "J It is probably by virtue of this right of chastising, 
here assumed by St. Paul, that the Pontiifs and Priests of 
the Christians have since arrogated to themselves an unli- 
mited spiritual power over the thoughts of their subjects. 
Their empire extended itself by degrees over their persons; 
Christian priests, exceeding the Apostle to whom the Lord 
had given this power to edify, availed themselves of it to 
destroy those whom they found not sufficiently submissive 
to their decisions. If St Paul did not exercise over his sheep 
a power so extensive, it is doubtless because he had not, like 
our pastors, princes, magistrates and soldiers under his or- 
ders, capable of executing his holy will: with his imperious 
temper we may justly conclude that he would have con- 
ducted himself much in the same manner as some fathers of 
the church, the Pontiffs of Rome, or the Holy Inquisition. 

We see also that the Apostle, not satisfied with being sole 
judge in spiritual affairs, was desirous of the power of de- 
ciding in civil suits. " Dare any of you having a matter 
against another go to law before the unjust, and not before 
the saints? Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the 
world? § This passage evidently proves that the Apostle in 
the depth of his policy had already formed the design of 
making the saints, i. e. the clergy, masters of the fortunes as 
well as the consciences of the faithful. In fact, he adds, 
know ye not that we shall judge angels? How much more, 
things that pertain to this life? We cannot sufficiently ad- 
mire the moderation of the Christian clergy, in not having 
rigorously acted up to the letter of this decisive text, which 
formally gives them the right of judging in all temporal af- 
fairs, or the concerns of this life. Indeed it appears accor- 
ding to this passage, that Christians in their transactions, 

* 2 Corinthians, chap, i. ver. 23. 

t 2 Corinthians, chap. ii. ver. 9, 

X 2 Corinthians, chap. xiii. ver. 2. and 10, 

§ 1 Corinthians, chap, vi, ver. 1. and 2. 



36 CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF 

ought to have no other judges, or even sovereigns, than the 
church. It is from these maxims, that our priests have be- 
come censors, or a kind of magistrates, who interfere vi^ith 
every thing, and set themselves up for the judges of the legi- 
timacy of civil acts, of births and marriages, of which 
they have made themselves masters; in a few words, they 
seize upon man the moment he is born, and regulate all his 
motions until his death. It is from these pretences, that the 
popes have impudently arrogated the power of disposing of 
crowns, of exciting insurrections and wars, and of deciding 
upon the rights of sovereigns and people. 

It is by no means surprising that the heads of the Chris- 
tian church, have at all times held up St. Paul, as a man 
divinely inspired ; have for a distinction entitled him, the 
Apostle, have inculcated for his writings the most profound 
veneration, and have caused them to be considered, as the 
oracles of the Holy Ghost. This Apostle was evidently the 
architect of the church. We may consider him especially 
as the founder of the ecclesiastical hierarchy. It is to him 
that are owing the prerogatives, privileges, divine rights and 
pretences of the clergy. St. Paul established bishops, as- 
signed them their rights, and in his writings laid the foun- 
dations of that spiritual power, which has since become so 
formidable to temporal authority. How could the inventor 
of so many useful things, fail to be regarded as the organ of 
the divinity. 

Nevertheless, if we read the gospels with the slightest 
attention, we shall find that Jesus has no where spoken of 
this hierarchy or power, nor of the prerogatives of the clergy ; 
on the contrary, we see him incessantly preaching to his 
apostles, equality, humility and poverty. But in that as in 
many other instances, our Apostle thought himself at liberty 
to correct the institutions of Christ, who on all occasions 
shewed himself unfavourable to priests. These changes ef- 
fected by Paul are sufficient to make us acquainted with his 
secret policy. He endeavoured apparently to make him- 
self the spiritual and temporal head of the churches, which 
he had by his labours, founded among the Gentiles, with 
whom, as we have shewn, he had more success than amongst 
the Jews. It was to gain them over that he became all 
things to all men, that he dispensed them, as we have said, 
from the most essential ordinances of the Mosaic law. In 
short he had the secret of insinuating himself, into the minds 
of idolators, whom he sometimes took by surprize accommo- 
dating himself to their capacities, and giving them as he 



THE LtFE OF ST. PAUL. 37 

himself has said, sometimes milk, and at others, solid food. 
As we have already sufficiently shewn, Paul after his sue-, 
cesses with the Gentiles, gave himself little trouble respecting 
the converted Jews, or with his elder brethren in the apostle- 
ship; and openly declared himself against the Mosaic law. 
As we have seen he went himself to Jerusalem, to solicit a 
decree, to dispense the Gentiles from the rite of circumci- 
sion ; this he had much at heart, feeling how necessary this 
indulgence was, in order to secure his new subjects. Thus 
it was he who enlarged the breach, though small in its ori- 
gin, which separated the Jews from the Christians, or Na- 
zarenes. This conduct naturally displeased the rest of the 
apostles, who appeared, even after the council, always at- 
tached to the Jewish ordinances, but who on this occasion, 
found themselves compelled to cede to Paul, or at least 
to temporize with a man who had gained an ascendancy over 
Ihem, 



CHAP. XIII. 

Of the Humility of St. Paul. 

With the ability and ambitious conduct which we have 
just remarked in St. Paul it is difficult to conceive that hu- 
mility could have been his ruling passion. Perusing his 
writings, we shall without much difficulty discover that 
when he humbles himself it is generally with a view of ex- 
alting himself in the eyes of his adherents; he does not fail 
to boast of the penalties, sufferings, and labours that he has 
submitted to for love of them, it is upon this, that he 
founds his claims to their respect and gratitude. " Let a 
man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and 
stewards of the mysteries of God :" further on he adds, " for 
1 think that God hath set forth us, the apostles last, as it 
were appointed to death : for we are made a spectacle unto 
the world, and to angels, and to men." 

St. Paul then reproaches the Corinthians, with their ease, 
their luxury, and their pretences, and compares their happy 
situation with his own. " We are, (says he to them,) fools 
for Christ's sake, but ye are wise in Christ: we are weak, 
but ye are strong; ye are honourable, but we are despised. 
Even, unto this present hour we both hunger and thirst, and 
are buffeted, and have no certain dwelling place, and la- 
bour, working with our own hands." He then enumerates 
the evils he has suffered, and adds " I write not these things 



3« CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF 

to shame you, but as my beloved sons to warn you." Of 
what? He explains himself, and says, " For though you 
have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not 
many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you 
through the gospel." Our humble missionary sends them 
his lieutenant, Timothy, to bring them back to their duty, 
i. e. to the obedience they owed to their spiritual father, he 
threatens them himself, and mildly demands of them, 
" What will ye? Shall I come unto you with a rod, or in 
love, and in the spirit of meekness?" 

In all this remarkable tirade there are no traces of that 
profound humility, for which credit has been given to 
Paul: on the contrary, all discovers a domineering spirit, 
and a desire of exclusive power over the faithful whom he 
had converted. It is generally the proudest men who com- 
plain the most bitterly of being despised and treated with 
contempt; and, amongst devotees, Pride knows how to cover 
appearances with the garb of humility. However, our 
Apostle does not give himself the trouble to mask his self- 
love : in fact, when he compares himself to the rest of the 
Apostles, he makes us understand, that though he terms 
himself the last, he has a right to be considered as the first. 
He says, " For I suppose I was not a whit behind the very 
chiefest apostles." It seems that the Corinthians were 
shocked with the harshness of his tone; for he adds, " but 
though I be rude in speech, yet not in knowledge: but we 
have been thoroughly- made manifest among you in all 
things." Then feeling that they might be disgusted with 
these imprudent self commendations, he says, " Seeing that 
many glory after the flesh, 1 will glory also." 

It is easy to see that our Evangelical Doctors propose to 
themselves Paul's humility as a model for their own. It is 
doubtless, in imitation of this great Saint, that the Pope 
calls himself the Servant of the Servants of God, which 
does not, however, prevent him from making those who 
refuse to acknowledge his unlimited power, and blindly 
subscribe to his infallible decisions, feel his pastoral rod; 
but when the rulers of the Church make use of this rod, it 
is only to shew their great zeal for the interests of the 
Lord. 



THE LIFE OF ST. PAUL. 39 

CHAP. XIV. 

Of the Zeal of St. Paul. Reflections on this Christian virtue. 

That passion which in common life is termed, anger, fury, 
vengeance or delirium, becomes zeal as soon as its object 
is religion, or the cause of God. It is a maxim among 
Christian devotees, that we cannot love God too much, con- 
sequently we cannot sin in excess of zeal. According to 
these principles, our doctors in their quarrels, injure, defame, 
calumniate, and asperse, and when they have the power, 
persecute and exterminate each other. Each sect, firmly 
per.suaded that it is in the right, and that its peculiar way 
of thinking is the only one that God can approve, thinks 
itself justified in destroying the opinions of its adversaries, 
which displeasing to itself, must consequently displease the 
divinity. Thus in attentively examining the thing, we find 
that religious zeal is nothing but anger, excited in a bigot by 
opinions adverse to his own, or those of the party he has es- 
poused. In a word, zeal is the gall which contradiction 
secretes in the souls of bigots. There can be no doubt, but 
that St. Paul has left a model of this sort, which our evan- 
gelical doctors, have in all times faithfully copied. If this 
great Apostle did not go to the extent of persecuting those 
who resisted his arguments, or refused blindly to submit to 
his supreme decisions, it is because he was not sufficiently 
strong; otherwise judgi^ng from the warmth of his tempera- 
ment we may reasonably presume, that he w^ouldhave been 
easily carried to extremities, well calculated to justify the 
holy passion to which the heads of the church have since 
given themselves up on all occasions, w^hen they have had 
sufficient power to give a lustre to their zeal. 

In fact we find, that Paul's self love, did not suffer con- 
tradiction with too much patience. He delivers over to 
Satan those who refuse to obey him, he pretended that any 
other Gospel, than his own, was abominable. " I marvel 
that you are so soon removed from him that called you 
into the grace of Christ unto another gospel." He pretends 
and affirms that he alone taught the true doctrine, and that 
all others are impostors, false prophets, and disturbers; we 
are obliged to believe on his own word that he possesses in- 
fallibility. He goes so far as to say in the heat of his self-love 
" But though we, or an angel from heaven preach any other 
gospel unto you, than that which we have preached unto 
you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now 



40 CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF 

agaio, if any man preach any other gospel unto you, than 
that ye have received, let him be accursed. "^^ This language 
might well appear insolent, presumptuous, and even impious 
to those who have not faith, nevertheless it is that which is 
invariably held by the chiefs of every sect; we see them, 
upon their own authority, continually anathematizing, ex- 
communicating, damning and delivering over to the devil, 
whoever has the temerity to understand the Gospel in any 
other way but their own. Every doctor like Paul, declares 
himself and even believes himself to be infallible; nothing 
in the world, (not even the angels of heaven) could make 
him renounce opinions which his self-love, bis obstinacy, 
and his vanity, cause him to behold as the only true. 

The history of Paul, however furnishes us with an em- 
barrassing circumstance. Ardent in dispute and obstinately 
attached to his own ideas, w^e see this infallible Apostle 
boasted of having resisted Cephas, i. e. Peter, to his face, 
who nevertheless appears to have had titles to infallibility, 
still better established than those of our Apostle; in fact if 
Paul, in order to prove his own infallibility, supports it by 
bis visions, inspirations, revelations, and miracles: St. Peter 
might in favour of his own, oppose to him a great number 
of visions, dreams, and prodigies equally authentic with 
those of his brother. If Paul founded the divinity of his 
mission, and the trith of his particular way of thinking on 
his own testimony, could not St. Peter cite, in support of 
his authority, the testimony of Jesus Christ, who had de- 
clared him the chief of the apostles, who had established 
him, as the first shepherd of his flock, and the rock on which, 
he would found his church? Is it not. upon this authentic 
evidence, that the Pope, who stiles himself the successor of 
Peter, founds his infallibility, acknowledged and maintained 
by the greater part of the Roman Catholic Clergy? There 
is then reason to be astonished that Paul, with titles not so 
well established, should have dared to resist Peter to his face, 
or that he should have boasted of such resistance; and it is 
oot less surprising that the latter should have ceded to his 
junior in the apostleship, having such powerful arguments 
to support his claim to infallibility. 

All may however be explained by the supposition that 
upon this occasion St. Paul showed himself more headstrong 
than St. Peter, who for the sake of peace, yielded to the 
eargerness of his adversary, and would not support hisow^n 

* Episde to Gal. Chap. i. ver. 8 and 9. 



THE LIFE OF ST. PAUL. 41 

infallibility at the riskof exciting a schism in the rising sect. 
We have seen in our time pious Janseuists avail themselves 
of St. Paul's example, to resist to the face the infallible 
decisions of the Roman Pontiff; but he, less moderate than his 
predecessor St. Peter, would not cede, but remained obsti- 
nate in maintaining his irrefragable authority, and by this 
means produced and fomented divisions, which the deter- 
mined zeal displayed by both parties, has rendered very 
dangerous. The successor of St. Peter anathematizes, and 
finding himself the strongest, persecutes the imitators of St. 
Paul, for daring to resist him: these of course strongly at- 
tached to their principles which they deem infallible, are 
obstinate in their resistance, detest the opinions of their ty- 
rants, and in spite of charity, very cordially damn those 
who do not think like themselves, whilst these last from 
attachment to the infallibility of the Pope, whom they have 
on their side, believe themselves compelled, in conscience, to 
make their adversaries submit to the most inhuman and un- 
reasonable treatment. 

Such are the salutary effects which zeal has produced in 
the Church of Jesus Christ, from the first preaching of the 
gospel to the present day. The zeal of St Paul not con- 
tented with exercising itself against his brethren the apostles, 
shewed itself strongly in all situations. We see him excite 
trouble and clamour in whatever cities he happened to be. 
We generally term a man a public disturber, who troubles 
the peace of his neighbours; but, in religion, a saint is a man 
who dares to preach his own opinions, as thoseof God himself, 
at the risk of exciting the most disastrous revolutions in so- 
ciety. His self-love becomes legitimate as soon as its object 
is religion ; proves to hin;! in the most convincing manner 
that he is always right; that his way of thinking is neces- 
sary to salvation, and that all considerations ought to give 
way to such an important object. If religious zeal is able 
one day to procure advantages in the other world ; it is at 
least very evident tltat it causes many misfortunes here below. 
In the eyes of reason it is always equally dangerous, even 
when it is the fruit of the most sincere devotion. Iftheimpf)G- 
tor, the ambitious man and the hypocrite, avail themselves 
of it as a cloak to cover all crimes, the sincere bigot thinks 
that zeal justifies the greatest excesses, and often makes a 
merit, and even a duty, of detesting his fellows and troubling 
society. 

It is in fact difficult to reconcile zeal with the spirit of 
union, concord, and peace, that Christianity recommends, or 



42 CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF 

with that charity which St. Paul places above all virtues, 
and without which, he assures us that all the others are use- 
less. But did this Apostle himself possess much charity, 
when not satisfied with carrying trouble into every place 
where he preached, he inveighed against those whom he 
found not disposed to believe^? 

It is doubtless nothing but a lively faith, which can re- 
concile the violent conduct of this great Apostle, with the 
charity which he incessantly recommends. It appears at 
least difficult to have a sincere regard for men whom zeal 
obliges us to hate, either as our own enemies, or as the enemies 
of God. The subtle theology of the Christians, can alone 
reconcile these incompatible dispositions. 

It is only the ministers of the Church, who have the ta- 
lent of proving, that without a violation of Christian charity, 
it is lawful to harass, persecute, and destroy ones neigh- 
bours. They can in fact clearly show that we may burn 
the body of a man, out of tenderness for his soul. They 
think they have a right to excommunicate a man, or 
anathematize him, that is to say, exclude him for ever from 
spiritual grace, to put him in short into the road to damnation, 
to deliver him to Satan, for the destruction of the flesh, in 
order to save him, according to the spirit. This conduct 
is not the least inconceivable mystery of the Christian reli- 
gion; faith is doubtless necessary to find it either charitable 
or intelligible. How can we conceive, for example, that 
the desire of saving the soul of an heretic, or an impious man, 
can determine the inquisition or Christian magistrates to con- 
sign him to the flames, even while he persists in those opi- 
nions, which they suppose must plunge him into hell? 



CHAP. XV. 

of the Deceptions or Apostacy of St. Paul. 

By the aid of faith we never find any thing to condemn in 
the conduct of those, whom- we have been accustomed to 
regard as saints ; their obstinacy, seditious spirit, pride, even 
their ferocity, are justified, by saying that they are animated 
with a holy zeal. In a word, a saint may violate with im- 
punity, the most sacred rules of morality, without his bigoted 
admirers permitting themselves to criticise his conduct. 
Saints have always been in the habit of terming those chas- 

* Epistle to Tim. Chap. i. ver. 2D. 



THE LIFE OF ST. PAUL. 43 

tisements, which they have drawn upon themselves (often- 
times justly) by their unruly passions or indiscreet zeal, 
persecution. Those whom a devout phrensy excites to tumult 
and disorder are honoured as confessors and martyrs, and we 
find the Jews and Pagans were the most unjust and cruel of 
men, for having treated the Christians, whom they could not 
consider but as disturbers of the public peace, in thesame man- 
ner as the Christians now treat the Jews, heretics, and 
infidels. Bigots accustom themselves to regard their saints 
as irreproachable characters, or if they cannot justify their 
conduct, they say that God has permitted them to sin, to 
humiliate them, in order that he might have an opportunity 
of pardoning them. It is thus that every good Christian 
regards a brigand in revolt against his legitimate sovereign, 
an usurper, a monster of cruelty, an infamous adulterer, an 
assassin, in a word, a David, as a great saint; or even by 
excellence, as the man after God's own heart! Faith in the 
mind of a bigot, is able to reverse, even the most simple rules of 
morality and virtue. Religion encourages the most perverse 
men to give themselves up to the blackest crimes, the most 
shameful vices, and the most shocking irregularities, by set- 
ting before them the examples of scoundrels, who were never- 
theless the friends of God. 

[t cannot be pretended that St. Paul of whom we are now 
speaking, was guilty of excesses, similar to those committed 
by the king of the Jews, whose whole history is a series of 
horrors : but without faith it is difficult to consider our 
Apostle as an irreproachable character; though the histo- 
rian, whoever he be, to whom we are indebted for the Acts 
of the Apostles, has designed to hold him up as a model of 
virtue, we find that by a singular oversight he did not seem 
aware, that he made him tell an untruth in public, and in 
the most solemn manner in presence of the Sanhedrim or 
great council of the Jews. In fact as we have already re- 
marked, perceiving that his audience was composed of 
Sadducees and Pharisees, with the view of dividing them 
and gaining friends, Paul cried out that he was a Pharisee, 
the son of a Pharisee, and that they sought to kill him, be- 
cause of his hope in the resurrection. 

In this assertion we may detect two deceptions. In the 
first place Paul was not a Pharisee, at the moment he spoke 
he was a Christian, he was an Apostle, he preached Jesus 
Christ, he laboured effectually to make proselyes to his sect, 
he had disgusted the Jews in announcing to them a new 
law, contrary to that of Moses, he had procured in the 



44 CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF 

council at Jerusalem the abolition of the practice of circum- 
cision so strictly ordained by their law. In a word he 
preached Christianity and not Judaism in the same moment 
that -he declared himself a Pharisee. On this occasion his 
conduct was in fact that of an apostate, at least it cannot 
be denied, that he conducted himself as a coward, who did 
not care to acknowledge his real belief in the presence of 
the council, and who had recourse to an artifice to outwit 
his Judges. In fact the conduct of Paul on this occasion 
has no resemblance to that of a great number of martyrs, 
who freely acknowledge themselves Christians at the risk of 
their lives, and boldly confessed Jesus Christ, in the presence 
of their persecutors and executioners. The presence of the 
High Priest and council so much imposed on St. Paul, that 
he declared himself a Pharisee; fear troubled his memory 
to such a degree, that he forgot he had just acknowledged 
himself a Christian, and missionary of Jesus to the Gentiles 
in the presence of the people collected before the gate of the 
fortress, who indignant at his discourse, cried out, " away 
with such a fellow from the earth for it is not fit that he 
should live." Nothing then but theological subtilty, can 
clear Paul from deception, apostacy, and cowardice on this 
occasion. 

In the second place it was not true, that it was because of 
the hope of another life, and of the resurrection of the dead, 
that Paul was persecuted by the Jews. It was for having 
preached a new doctrine, contrary to the law of Moses; 
this great legislator has in no part taught us what we ought 
to believe concerning the resurrection of the dead or of ano- 
ther life. The Jews without ceasing to be Jews, embraced 
respecting it whatever opinion they pleased, the Sadducees 
rejected it without however being on that account, excluded 
from the synagogue, and without ceasingto observe the Ju- 
daic law; the Pharisee admitted it without its appearing to 
cause a schism between them, and those who did not think 
as they did. It is true that Paul had preached the resurrec- 
tion, but it was that of Jesus, on which he endeavoured to 
establish a new sect very different from the Jewish religion. 
Thus the words of St. Paul were merely a subterfuge unwor- 
thy of a man, whom grace ought to have endued with suf- 
ficient courage to maintain before the council, at the peril of 
his liberty and his life, the same sentiments that he had 
taught the people and preached in all those places where he 
had planted the faith. It was then for having preached 
Christianity, and for having (in spite even of his brethren 



THE LIFE OF ST. PAUL. 45 

the apostles) desired in favour of the Gentiles the abolition 
of the Jewish customs^ that Paul was persecuted, the priests 
were doubtless irritated against a man who sought to abro- 
gate a law and a priesthood which a divine revelation had 
so many times taught them was to endure eternally, whilst 
the authors of the Epistle to thq Hebrews formerly assures 
us that they have been set aside by the Gospel. 



CBAP. XVI. 

St. Paul's H}'pocrisy- 

We cannot avoid perceiving still more of the insincerity and 
profound hypocrisy of Paul's conduct at Jerusalem. After 
having preached in a great number of towns in Asia and 
Greece, a doctrine revolting to the feelings of the Jews, and 
which every where caused disturbances amongst them, after 
having in favour of the Gentiles abolished circumcision so 
particularly ordained by the law of Moses, and deemed so 
essential to the proselytes of the gate; we see this great 
Apostle, by the advice of his brethren, submit himself, du- 
ring seven days, to the Jewish ceremonies; purify himself 
with affectation. "Then Paul took the men, and the next 
day purifying himself with them, entered into the temple, 
to signify the accomplishing of the days of purification, un- 
til that an offering should be offered for every one of them w." 
But the Jews of^Asia, who knew the real sentiments of our 
missionary, from having heard him preach when amongst 
them, were not the dupes of this hypocrisy: they excited 
the people " crying out, men of Israel, help: this is the man 
that teacheth all men every where against the people, and 
the laws of this place; and further brought Greeks also into 
the temple, and hath polluted this holy placet-" These 
were the true charges of the Jews against Paul, and without 
denying what we find in the Acts of the Apostles, we must 
acknowledge, that Ihey were well founded. 

What should we say in the present day of a bishop, who, 
whilst pretending to be a Christian, should go for a period 
of seven days into a synagogue in London or Amsterdam, 
to fulfil Jewish ceremonies in the sight of the public? We 
should not fail to regard him as an apostate, or a knave, who 
had sinister intentions at any rate, the most favourable 

* Acts of Apostles, chap. xsi. ver. 6. 
t Acts of xA-postles, chap, xxi, ver. 28. 



46 CRITICi^L EXAMINATION OF 

construction, we Nvould put upon his motives, would be to 
suppose him a fool. We are however to admire this con- 
duct in Paul, he pretends to justify himself by the necessity 
of becoming all things to all men. It is thus we see that 
hypocrisy, falsehood, and imposture, are legitimate means, 
by which to advance the cause of God and gain souls. 

Nevertheless there is every reason to think that St. Paul 
in acting in such a singular manner, had his own interest 
and safety, more at heart than the cause of the divinity. 
His conduct has been faithfully copied by a great number 
of Christian missionaries, and especially by the Jesuits, 
whom their adversaries often reproach with having frequently 
assimilated the w^orship of Jesus with that of those idola- 
trous people, whom they were endeavouring to convert. 



CHAP. XVII. 

St. Paul accused of Perjury, or ihe Author of the Acts of the Apo sties, 
convicted of Falsehood. 

Not contented with pursuing this oblique or hypocritical 
conduct, we again see, our great Apostle, evidently, wilfully 
guilty of perjury, or a false oath. To convince ourselves of 
this we have only to read the commea cement of his Epistle 
to the Galatians; to prove to them, that the gospel which 
he announced to them, was divinely inspired, he says " But 
I certify to you brethren, that the gospel which was preached 
of me, is not after man. For I neither received it of man, 
neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ." 
Further on he proves what he advances by saying, '* But 
when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's 
vvomb, and called me by his grace, to reveal his son in me, 
that T might preach him among the heathen; immediately 
I conferred not with flesh and blood; neither went I up to 
Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me but I went 
into Arabia, and returned again into Damascus. Then after 
three years, I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode 
w^ith him fifteen days. But other of the apostles, saw I 
none, save James the Lord's brother. Now the things which 
I write unto you behold before God I lie uot^." Butif Paul 
did not lie, in what he related to the Galatians, it is clear 

* This passage proves very forcibly that Paul preached a different gospel 
from that of the other apostles, i. e. from the Ebionites or Nazarenes. 



THE LIFE OF ST. PAUL. 47 

that the author of the Acts of the Apostles, whom the Chris- 
tian church regards as an inspired writer equally with St. 
Paul, has lied. In fact in the ninth chapter of the Acts, it 
is said that Paul after his conversion, and after having re- 
covered his sight remained some days with the disciples who 
were at Damascus; which proves that he was instructed by 
men, or that he took counsel of flesh and blood. Believing 
himself sufficiently fortified in his theology, by Ananias or 
others, he began to preach Christ in the synagogue, at which 
conduct the Jews were so shocked that they sought to take 
away his life : but Saul escaped from their fury by means of 
a basket, and without mention made of his journey to Ara- 
bia, he directly returns to Jerusalem, where the disciples 
were in the first instance fearful of him, but Barnabas, en- 
couraged them, and presented him to the apostles, at the 
same time relating to them his miraculous conversion, and 
his courageous preaching at Damascus. In consequence it 
is said that Paul was added to the number of the faithful. 
(Acts ix.) 

It is easy to see, how little this recital of the inspired 
historian of the Acts, agrees with that of the inspired Apos- 
tle, who wrote to the Galatians, and confirmed bis narration 
by an oath. Besides the journey of St. Paul to Arabia upon 
leaving Damascus, and which preceded his arrival at Jeru- 
salem by three years, becomes very improbable, as well as 
his stay in this country. In fact the disciples at Jerusalem 
must have been in habits of correspondence with those of 
Damascus, consequently they would thus have heard of an 
event so interesting to their sect, as the conversion of St. Paul 
and the pains he took to propagate their doctrines; thus the 
presence of our Apostle would not have created any uneasi- 
ness, and there could have been no need of Barnabas be- 
coming his surety. It appears then that the new convert 
upon leaving Damascus went directly to Jerusalem, that he 
had there an opportunity of conversing with the apostles, 
and that his theology was not intuitive. 

But even supposing that the journey and sojourn of three 
years in Arabia, really took place, it would be no less cer- 
tain that Paul took a false oath to the Galatians, or that 
the author of the Acts is deceived. In fact St Paul writes 
that at the end of three years he returned to Jerusalem to 
visit Peter, and that he remained fifteen days with him with- 
out seeing any other of the apostles. This is quite at vari- 
ance with the author of the Acts, who informs us'that Paul 
being come to Jerusalem, sought to join himself to the 



48 CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF 

disciples, who were afraid of him, not knowing that he was 
adisciple. Our Saint contradicts all this by a different tale 
which he confirms by an oath. 

Moreover by this oath Paul himself contradicts the dis- 
course w^hich the author of the Acts, puts into his mouth in 
the presence of King i\grippa, of Queen Berenice, and the 
governor Festus^. 

In relating to them his conversion, he says to them, 
Whereupon, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto 
the heavenly vision; but shewed first unto them at Damas- 
cus and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judea, 
and then to the Gentiles that they should repent and turn to 
God, and do works meet for repentance." Thus according 
to the author of the Acts, St. Paulh^nself acknowledges that 
he first preached at Damascus, then at Jerusalem before ad- 
dressing himself to the Gentiles. 

- If he had preached during a period of three years in Ara- 
bia, he w^ould have spoken of the circumstance, of which no 
mention is made in all the Acts of the Apostles, whilst we 
find there the most minute details of the continual journey- 
ings. . 

We shall just remark here a visible contradiction in the 
Acts of the Apostles; The author of this w^ork in relating 
the miraculous conversion of St. Paul, says that those who 
accompanied him, were speechless, hearing a voice but seeing 
no mant- However the same author, forgetting himself 
makes Paul say in his discourse to the Jews, " And they 
that were with me saw indeed the light and were afraid, but 
they heard not the voice of him that spake to meij:. 

It belongs to the impartial reader to judge what degree of 
confidence is due to writers who are so often at variance. 
In the first instance Paul solemnly attests by an oath, the 
truth of a fact, not only omitted, but even formally contra- 
dicted by St, Luke, his historian and disciple. In the 
second instance the historian contradicts himself. This 
ought at least to shake the implicit faith, that so many per- 
sons put in works which possess neither the consistence nor 
harmony required in ordinary writers. As to our doctors 
they tell us their ways of saving the honour of these two 
inspired ones; whom they have much interest in washing 
from so grave an accusation, and such a taint upon the 
Christian religion. 

* Acts, xxvi. ver. 29. f Acts, ix. ver. 7. I Acts, xxii. ver. 9. 



THE LIFE OF ST. PAUL. 49 

CHAP. XVIII. 

Examination of St. Paul's Miracles. 

Though St. Paulas we have just seen, has himself taken care 
to shake the credit of the author of the Acts of the Apostles, 
it is nevertheless on the word of this w^riter that Christians 
think themselves obliged to believe in the miracles of our 
great Apostle. In fact, like all those whohaveendeavoured 
to establish new sects, our preacher could not dispense with 
performing prodigies: this is the most certain method of ex- 
citing the admiration of the vulgar. Incapable of reasoning, 
of judging of the soundness of a doctrine, and frequently 
unable in the least to comprehend it, miracles always become 
the most powerful of arguments; they are indubitable proofs 
that he who works them is the favourite of the divinity, that 
consequently he cannot be in the wrong, nor capable of a 
wish to deceive. 

Miracles vfere more especially necessary amongst the 
Jews ; they demanded signs from all those who spoke to 
them in the name of the Lord, and there was little difficulty 
in working thein, before an ignorant and credulous people, 
ready to receive as such every thing that was shewn to 
them. In spite of a disposition so favourable to miracle- 
mongers, we do not find that those of Jesus himself and 
afterwards of his apostles, produced on the Jews those effects 
which we have a right to expect from them. We find that 
at the time they were performed they convinced nobody 
and drew those who worked them, into difficult situations. 
It was not until a long time had elapsed that these prodigies 
produced their effects, and by a miracle that we can never 
cease to admire, we find, that these prodigies, which were 
discarded by those who saw them, were most firmly be- 
lieved by those who did not see them, and are now ranked 
amongst the strongest evidences of the divinity of the Chris- 
tian religion. There are only some reasoners who persist 
in judging of these ancient miracles in the same manner as 
the contemporaries who did not see them, or who, if they 
did see them, regarded them as so many instances of decep- 
tion and slight of hand, incapable of imposing on them. It 
is only the simplicity of faith, that is to say, an implicit con- 
fidence in the assertions of our guides, which can make us 
see miracles, or cause us to believe in those we have not 
seen. But this simple faith is the effect of an especial grace 
5 



50 CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF 

that God grants only to those who are poor in spirit, and 
harshly refuses to those who think and reason. As soon as 
we want confidence in the operators, w^e see no more mira- 
cles, or at least we doubt of those that are shewn to us. 

It does not appear that St. Paul performed miracles at 
J erusalem after his conversion ; this city was not in his depart- 
ment: it belonged to St. Peter and the other Jewish apostles, 
who, according to the Acts, did not cease to work miracles 
there. Our Apostle of the uucircumcised, or of the district 
in which the Gentiles were converted, having quitted his 
brethren, commenced his course of miracles at Paphos. He 
was upon the point of converting Sergius, proconsul of the 
province, had not a cursed sorcerer of a Jew, named Barje- 
sus, and surnamed Elymas, i. e. magician, endeavoured to 
prevent the magistrate from believing in Jesus Christ. In- 
dignant at the obstacle that this man opposed to the divine 
will, instead of converting and convincing him, Paul abused 
him according to the present practice of theologians, and 
called him a child of the devil, and finished v/ith striking 
him with blindness. If this conduct w^as conducive to 
the salvation of the proconsul, who according to the au- 
thor of the i\cts, having seen this miracle, believed, being 
astonished at the doctrine of the Lord, there are many who 
will not be so edified, at this prodigy, so contrary to Chris- 
tian charity and mildness. In fact w^ould it not have been 
more kind of St. Paul armed with divine power, to have 
enlightened the eyes of the sorcerer's mind, than to have 
struck those of his body with darkness? But we always see 
that the miracle that the apostles as w^ell as their divine 
master had most difficulty in working was that of convincing 
those who were not disposed to believe every thing. 

It appears that on the present occasion, the sorcerer was 
stronger, in point, of reasoning, than St. Paul, w^hich put 
him in a passion. Logic was not in fact, the most promi- 
nent quality in our iVpostle, any more than in his brethren 
and successors. Besides, this holy Missionary was of too 
impetuous a temper to reason with moderation, and argue 
in a clear and precise manner. Thus to terminate the dis- 
pute with Elymas, he abused him, and perhaps-relying on 
the protection of the proconsul, whom he saw wavering in 
favour of his doctrine, ventured to strike his antagonist, 
which deprived him of his sight for a period, for it is easy 
to deprive a man of the use of his eyes without a miracle^. 

* Tills, it must in candour be acknowledged, is an inference which the 
text will not warrant us to draw, and is unworthy Boulanger's pen. It 



THE LIFE OF ST. PAUL. 51 

We learn that our Apostle and his associate Barnabas, 
wrought such miracles at Iconiura, that all the city was 
divided, one part being in favour of the Jews, and the other 
for the Apostles. But immediately after we are informed, 
that " when there was an assault made, both of the Gentiles 
and also of the Jews, with their rulers, to use them despite- 
fully, and to stone them, the Apostles were aware of it, and 
fled to Lystra and Derbe." 

This conduct of the inhabitants of Iconium is certainly 
inconceivable. Pagans and Jews unite to ill treat and stone 
our Apostles, who in spite of the divine power which they 
possess have no other expedient, than to seek safety in 
flight. 

In spite of the inutily of his miracles, Paul worked more 
at Lystra; he there cured a lame man, in w^hora by mere 
inspection he discovered much faith. This gives rise to a 
suspicion that this might have been a miracle concerted be- 
tween them. He said to him, with a loud voice, stand 
upright on thy feet, and he leaped and walked. The people 
of Lystra were so struck by this prodigy, that they took 
our two missionaries for gods, and would have offered them 
sacriiices, but Paul and Barnabas forbade them with great 
modesty. This great miracle must have been believed, even 
by the priest of Jupiter, since it is said, that he brought 
oxen and garlands unto the gates, and would have sacrificed 
with them. This circumstance clearly proves that nobody 
at Lystra doubted the truth of this miracle. How^ever some 
Jews who had arrived from Iconium were able to unde- 
ceive a whole city, which had seen the miracle of the lame 
man. The poor St. Paul, who had just before been taken 
for Jupiter, was stoned, and dragged out of the city for 
dead ; he revived, however, and, in spite of his miracle, he 
saved himself, with Barnabas by fleeing to Derbe. 

The miracle wrought by our saint at Philippi in Mace- 
donia, did not meet with more success, he there cured a 
girl, who had a spirit of Python, and being by that means 
possessed of the power of divination, gained great profit to 
her masters. These, far from acknowledging and adm.iring 
the power of a man who reduced to silence Apollo, one of 
the most powerful gods of paganism, brought Paul and 
Silas before the magistrates, and excited the people against 

seems to be compromising the dignity of truth, to impose upon itself the 
necessity of accounting for all the hocus pocus tricks, or wihul falshoods, 
which the ignorance, bigotry, and knavery of a deplorable superstition, 
have handed down through the mist of eighteen centuries. — Trandator. 



52 CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF 

them. It is right to reraark in this place, that Apollo (i. e. 
the Devil) who resided in this prophetess, laboured to de- 
stroy his own empire. In fact having perceived Paul and 
his comrade, the girl followed them, crying, these men are 
the servants of the Most High God, which shew unto us 
the way of salvation. And this did she many days. But 
Paul being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I com- 
mand thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her, 
and he came out the same hour--^. 

It is surprising that Paul was grieved at a declaration so 
favourable to his mission, and that he should impose silence 
on a demon, w^hose testimony was so honourable, and 
likely to draw adherents! but the conduct of saints is al- 
w^ays inexplicable. 

In these unhappy times in which faith is so cold, no cre- 
dit is given, either to those possessed, or to soothsayers; it 
is difficult to know what the nature of the spirit of Python, 
which inhabited the Macedonian girl could have beenf. If 
we might hazard a conjecture on the subject, it might be 
supposed that our Apostles, to give themselves some relief, 
gained her over, and employed her to play her part, by 
giving her to understand that it would be her interest to 
attach herself to the new sect, rather than work for masters, 
who, probably, paid her very poorly for her services from 
which they drew all the profit. 

The magistrates of Philippi on the complaint of those 
masters, as we have seen, caused our exorcists to be flogged, 
and sent them to prison. An earthquake happened very 
opportunely, the jailor was gained over or converted; the 
magistrates, thinking the Missionaries had -been sufficiently 
punished, permitted them to depart; but then, as we have 
seen, they declared themselves Roman citizens, and refused 
to go, until the magistrates, who were now intimidated, 
consented to make them an honourable reparation. 

Notwithstanding the miracles wrought by Paul during 
his mission, disagreeable reports every where accompanied 

* Acts xvi. 17, 18. 

t Some critics have been very much embarrassed, to conjecture what 
the nature of this spirit of Python could have been : several have thought 
that those who had this spirit, were sucli as are known to us in the present 
day by the name of ventriloquists, who have the power of articulating 
words, more or less distinctly, without any motion of the lips being per- 
ceptible. There are such persons, who create much surprise to those 
unacquainted with this faculty, and we cannot be astonished that the vul- 
gar, who doat upon the marvellous, should attribute this power to super- 
natural causes. 



THE LIFE OF ST. PAUL. 63 

.him, or followed him, so closely in ail the cities through 
which he passed, that neither himself nor his comrades 
could remain long in the same place. They only passed 
through Amphipolis and Apollonia, and repaired to Thessa- 
lonica, where, in a very short time, the whole city was in 
an alarm. Jason, their host, was, as we have already seen, 
ill treated on their account, it was alleged against our Mis- 
sionaries, that they overthrew every thing, and in preaching 
another king than Caesar, seemed desirous of plotting a con- 
spiracy. In consequence of this, as it was a serious accu- 
sation, the brethren contrived the escape of Paul and Silas 
during the night. 

Arrived at Berea, our two adventurers, soon excited simi- 
lar disturbances. Paul repaired to Athens, where the phi- 
losophers who heard him, took him for a talker whose 
brain was unsound. However in spite of his success, which 
was doubtless very slow, he had the mortification of being 
compelled to labour at his original trade of tent-making, 
which was very hard for a preacher ordained to live by the 
altar, that is to say, one whose trade it was to sell spiritual 
wares, to those who bound themselves to provide him, 
wherewith to subsist on credit. Such is clerical traffic. 
Further, St. Paul takes special care to boast to the Corin- 
thians of his great disinterestedness. He makes them un- 
derstand he would not be chargeable upon them ; by which 
he appears to have intended some indirect reproaches, cal- 
culated to pique their pride and excite their generosity, to- 
wards the holy man who laboured for their salvation ^^. The 
Corinthians probably imagined that men who performed 
miracles, had no need of assistance: but our miracle-mongers 
were under the necessity of satisfying their wants by ordi- 
nary methods. They were like the adepts, who were 
always in poverty though offering to others the secret of 
making gold. 

There is reason to believe that Paul performed great 
miracles amongst the Corinthians, at least he says to them 
himself " Truly the signs of an apostle, were wrought 
among you in all patience, in signs and wonders and in 
mighty deeds f. However we find that these miracles had 
not yet sufficiently convinced the Corinthians, since Paul 
says to them " Seek ye a proof of Christ speaking in me, 
which to you ward is not w^eak, but is mighty in you J." 

* See 2. Corinthians, chap. xi. ver. 7, 8, 9, 16. Chap. xii. ver. 13, 
and also 1. Corinthians chap.ix. ver 11, 13, 14, 

t 2 Corinthians xii. 12. | 2 Corinthians xiii. 3. 



54 CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF 

Respecting the miracles wrought by St. Paul at Corinth, 
we have only his own evidence, and that is sufficient; the 
author of the Acts though very free upon- this article does 
not inform us, that he wrought any in this city, this was most 
likely the case, since he remained there a long time,- an un- 
usual circumstance, where he condescended to perform 
miracles, which generally compelled him to remove, in 
consequence of the disturbance they excited. He was 
obliged to quit Ephesus, where we are assured, that he per- 
formed a great number, and where handkerchiefs, linen, &c. 
which had touched him, cured the sick, and expelled devils. 
He departed from Troas directly after having raised a dead 
man to life, or at least after having asserted that a young 
man, who was thought so, was in reality not so. In short 
in the isle of Malta he cured himself of the bite, either be- 
cause the reptile had not in fact bitten him, or by applying 
fire to the wound, a remedy which though common, might 
be unknown to the inhabitants of the island, as we have 
already remarked. 



CHAP. XIX. 

Analysis of the writings attributed to St. Paul. 

AftePv having examined the character of St. Paul by his 
conduct, it will be proper to make some reflections on his 
writings; they will serve to place in a still clearer light, this 
celebrated man, to whom Christianity owes so many obli- 
gations. If we confine ourselves to those works attributed 
to him, the Apostle of the Gentiles must have been a very 
extraordinary compound of discordant qualities, which 
when united must have produced an inexplicable whole. 
He himself informs us, that he had within him two men, 
the new man, and the old man ; the just man, and the sin- 
ner. He had two bodies, the one natural and the other 
spiritual; the body of sin and death, and the body of justi- 
fication and life. He had within him, two laws, which re- 
gulated his actions, the law of sin, and the law of justice, the 
law of the flesh, and the law of the spirit. Never was poor 
mortal so perplexed and teazed, than was our Apostle ac- 
cording to his own account, by these two opposite laws, 
which he had within himself. The carnal man makes him 
say, (see Romans, chapter vii. verse 18, to the end of the 
chapter.) 

In other places the spiritual man, makes him hold another 



THE LIFE OF ST. PAUL. 65 

language, he assures the Galatiaus, that heis one with Christ 
and crucified with him (see Galatians. chapter vii. verse 19 
and 20.) In another place he says to the Romans. " For 
the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free 
from the law of sin and death." It is clear that this duplicity 
of nature and law in St. Paul as acknowledged by himself is 
calculated to throw us into much embarrassment. In fact 
how can we distinguish in his conduct or discourse, that 
which springs from the old, from that which arises from the 
new man, or the spirit of life and the grace of Christ? Is it 
very easy at this time, to determine which governed St. Paul 
in those moments in which he spoke, acted, or wrote? Per- 
haps those maxims and dogmas most admired by Christians 
have been the suggestions of the flesh, the fruits of the old 
man, and that this old man often influenced his conduct, 
which, as we have shewn was not at all times free. from re- 
proach. In short the acknowledgments are of a nature 
well calculated to plunge the most firm Christians into un- 
certainties from which, without supernatural assistance, they 
will have great difficulty in extricating themselves. These 
confessions may further serve to shew us the inconsistencies, 
contradictions, absurdities, the sophistry and superficial 
reasoning, and disjointed ideas, which we meet with at every 
page of the writings attributed to St. Paul. It is to be pre- 
sumed, that it is the Holy Ghost, or Christ, who speaks 
when he appears reasonable, it would be blasphemous to say 
or think, that they could talk nonsense: in this case we 
shall say, that it is St. Paul or the flesh, who speaks, when 
w^e find him using bad arguments, extravagancies, and unin- 
telligible nonsense. We cannot imagine that the spirit of 
God w^ould have made him utter contradictions, or inspired 
him with a language incomprehensible to those whom he 
designed to enhghten and instruct by the mouth of this 
Apostle. In fact, St. Peter himself complains of the obscu- 
rities of Paul's epistles, in which, says he, " are some things 
hard to be understood."-'^ 

The distinction which we have just made will enable us 
to judge of the works of St, Paul, and explain the obscurities 
which we find in them, as well as the continual variations, 
which we must remark in his principles. He tells the Ga- 
latians that he was angry with Peter, and withstood him to 
his face, and that he was offended, with the other apostles, 
because they temporized and used dissimulation, sometimes 

* 2 Epis. Peter, chap. iii. ver. 16 



56 CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF 

advocating the usages of the Jews, and at others the customs 
of the Gentiles^. 

Elsewhere he says (here see 1 Corinthians, chap. ix. ver. 
19 to 22.) According to these passages, is it right to tempo- 
rize, or not? It remains for our doctors to decide which of 
these two principles has been divinely inspired to St. Paul, 
and in which of them we ought to imitate this great Saint. 
Our doctors however are not much in the habit of tempori- 
zing with their enemies unless they find themselves, too weak 
to cope with them. 

Our Apostle declares, formally to the Galatians that cir- 
cumcision, is useless and will avail them nothing, he says the 
same thing to the Corinthians. Yet w^e find him circumcis- 
ing his dear Timothy, and he tells the Romans that circum- 
cision is useful to those who fulfil the law. 

He writes to Timothy, that God is the saviour of all men 
expecially of the faithful, which evidently supposes that 
the unfaithful, will not be excluded from Salvation. He 
had also said, that God willed that all should be saved. 
But speaking to the Romans, he will not allow that the gates 
of Paradise, shall be opened to.all the world t- 

We should never finish, were we to relate all the contra- 
dictions which are to be found in the writings attributed to 
St. Paul. It is clear that if he be really the author of them, 
he exhibits himself to us, as a fanatical writer, v/hose disor- 
dered head prevents him from seeing that he is eternally 
contradicting himself. He says that black is white. He 
follows only the impulses of a heated imagination; he esta- 
blishes principles to destroy them immediately; in a word 
from his want of logic, and the little connexion of his ideas 
without a most lively faith we should suspect, that he w^as 
in a continual state of delirium. 

It cannot be denied that this great Saint was of a tempera- 
ment too ardent to allow him to reason connectedly, or to 
speak with coolness. The tumultuous ideas which presented 
themselves in crowds to his brain, did not permit him to put 
them into any thing like an orderly arrangement ; he inces- 
santly wandered from his subject, so much so that an ima- 
gination, as warm as his own, is necessary in order to follow 
him in his flights. Perpetually involved in figures, allusions 
and allegories, it is nearly impossible to guess what are his 
real sentiments. According to his doctrine he appears ta 
establish in the strongest manner the dreadful doctrine of 

* Galatians chap. ii. ver. 11, &c. 
-j- Romans, chap. xi. ver. 7. 



THE LIFE OF ST. PAUL. ~ 57 

absolute predestination and reprobation. According to him 
God grants grace to whom he pleases, and whom he pleases 
he hardens. If we demand how this doctrine can be reconciled 
with the goodness and justice of God; or how a God who 
operates in manthe will and the deed, can be offended with the 
wills and actions of men? He extricates himself by asking if 
the vessel shall say to him who made it, why hast thou fashion- 
ed me thus? Thus St. Paul, and after him all Christian doctors, 
explain the conduct of a God, whom they pretend to love, 
at the same time that they hold him up as a tyrant, who is 
not accountable for his most unjust caprices, and despot-like 
is restrained by no rule! 

St. Paul being divineiy inspired should have taught us 
something of the nature of the soul, an object which so em- 
barrasses all philosophers who not being illumined from 
above, have formed ideas upon this subject, so much at va- 
riance with those of our Christian doctors. But far from 
throwing any light upon this important matter, our Apostle, 
who appears strongly tinctured with the platonic philosophy 
so universally taught in his time, disiinguisbes the body, soul 
and spirit, and thus obscures the thing still more. But it is 
the essense of theology to confound every thing, and the 
interest of theologians to plunge mankind into a labyrinth, 
from which nothing but faith can extricate them. 



CHAP XX. 

Of Faith, in what this Virtue consists. 

Generally speaking it is St. Paul, or the author of the 
Epistles, (wherever he be) that are attributed to him, that 
ought to be regarded as the true founder of Christian theo- 
logy. The mysterious obscurity of his w^orks, the tone of 
fanaticism which reigns in them, and the unintelligible 
oracles with which they are filled, render them well suited 
to impose on the vulgar, who respect things only in propor- 
tion as they are impossible to be comprehended. Devout 
enthusism and pious melancholy there finds a continual feast 
for its sickly brain. Oracles and enigmas are taken for 
divine mysteries, which without a strong dose of faith we 
should conclude were the production of delirium or the in- 
ventions of imposture, which seeks to put reason to flight. 
Reason had no means of examining ideas which are totally 
unreasonable; thus they persuaded men that it was neces- 
sary to renounce reason in order to become a good Chris- 



58 CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF 

tian. In consequence of this principle, so humiliating to 
mankind and derogatory to the character of a God, the 
author of reason, it was no longer permitted to examine any- 
thing; man was commanded blindly to subscribe to the 
most incomprehensible reveries, and it was considered me- 
ritorious to renounce common sense and adopt fables and 
opinions revolting to every thinking being. Thus delirium 
was changed into wisdom, deception into truth, and fre- 
quently crime became virtue. They closed the mouths of 
reasoners by citing the language of Paul, who had said 
" that the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the 
weakness of God is stronger than men." According to the 
same Apostle God himself had predicted by the mouth of a 
prophet, the revolution that Christianity was to produce in 
the minds of mankind. " I will destroy the wisdom of the 
wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the 
prudent." Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? where 
is the disputer of this world? Hath not God made foolish 
the wisdom of this world, &c. ^ And he concludes by say- 
ing, " But w^e preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stum- 
bling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness." 

However violent Paul's enthusiasm may have been, he 
well knew how odd the doctrine he preached, must appear 
to reasonable beings. Fie must have been aware, that it 
overturned all received ideas; that it would not bear the test 
of examination; that it was a difficult enterprise to per- 
suade sensible beings that a God could die, that this God 
had arisen again, that an immutable God had changed and 
annulled the eternal alliance he had made with the Jews, 
and which been so repeatedly confirmed with oaths, &c. 
Thus our Apostle in order to pass such improbable opinions, 
believed it requisite, to substitute folly in the place of reason, 
and to fortify his disciples against the weapons of logic. 
For the evidence which results from the testimony of the 
senses he substituted faith, which according to him is the 
evidence of things not seen, and evidence which can only be 
founded on the most stupid credulity. 

Thus this prudent orator took care to guard against the 
philosophy of common sense, and against all science, seeing 
clearly that they opposed, invincible obstacles to the reli- 
gion that he sought to establish, and of which he pretended 
to be the soul and chief. Hence we find he attached the 
greatest merit to faith, that is to say, to a blind submission 
to his authority ; and such an unbounded confidence in him- 
* 1 Corinth, chap. i. ver. 19. 



THE LIFE OF ST. PAUL. b9 

self as prevented any doubt of those things, the truth of 
which he attested. 

As science wasinjurious to theestablishmentofhisempire he 
decriedit. "Knowledge puffethup, but charity edifieth." By 
charity, we may here understand that affection to a spiritual 
director which closing the eyes against those defects, which 
in common with other men hemay possess, convinces us that 
he is always right, that he is incapable of the wish to deceive, 
and in short, that he ought to be believed in preference to 
the evidence of our senses. 

It is thus that this great Apostle laboured incessantly to 
establish his own authority on the ruins of wisdom, reason, 
and science. " However we may reply to his doctrine, so 
useful to those whose interest it is to maintain absurd opinions 
and incredible fables, that God who, is, according to them, 
the author of reason could not have destroyed his own work. 
We shall demand of St. Paul and of those who like him 
preach up implicit faith, if folly is more able than wisdom 
to attain to the knowledge of God? We shall ask of them, 
if God has given wisdom to men on condition of their never 
using it, and if it is not by the aid of human wisdom, that 
man gains some idea of the divine wisdom? We shall ask if 
God can, without absolutely changing the nature of things, 
make wisdom folly, and folly wisdom? In short we shall 
ask them, if in order to become a Christian it is necessary 
to renounce common sense, or how far our folly must pre- 
vail to have a religion? 

To all these questions theologians, faithfully treading in 
the steps of St. Paul, will reply, that we must believe, and 
that as soon as they speak, we must submit to their autho- 
rity. " Faith" says Paul "comes by hearing," whence it 
results that have faith, we must sacrifice our reason, to the 
wills of our spiritual pastors. Charity ought to convince 
us, that these infallible guides, can neither deceive nor desire 
to lead us into error. 

According to this firm persuasion we shall never be em- 
barrassed, unless, by chance, those pastors should happen to 
disagree in their opinions. This however often occurs in the 
church, and has done from the commencement. In fact we 
have seen St. Paul himself resist St. Peter to his face and 
differ from him in opinion. Their quarrels like many others 
had fatal results, and produced a true schism between the 
partizans of Peter, and those of Paul, the Apostle of the 
Gentiles. 

The latter has acknowledged himself, that there must be 



60 CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF 

heresies in a church, perpetually guided by the most high. 
This prophecy has been verified in the Christian religion, 
which from its foundation has been incessantly agitated by 
quarrels, divisions, animosities, troubles, and paroxysms of 
fury that would induce a belief, that the gospel was given 
to nations only to excite in them, fermentations unknown to 
Paganism, and show them to what a degree of madness cre- 
dulity could lead. 

The writings of Paul especially have furnished in all ages 
ample matter, for disputes to the Christian doctors. The 
obscure dogmas they contain, have of necessity been 
diversely understood by profound dreamers, who have passed 
their time in meditation. Each pretended to have dis- 
covered the true sense of this infallible and divinely inspires- 
doctor. Each found in his writings a confirmation of hid 
own sentiments. Works filled with contradiction continually 
gave rise to parties the most opposite to each other, and vi- 
rulently bent upon mutual destruction. The authority 
of St. Paul was opposed to himself, and in the impossi- 
bihty of deciding upon questions totally out of the power of 
reason to discuss, recourse was had to violence, and the 
strongest always made the weak feel, that they alone 
comprehended the true sense of the great Apostle. They 
disputed continually on predestination, on grace, and 
on the liberty of man; they understood neither themselves 
nor St. Paul. The most headstrong, the most wicked, and 
the most powerful, enforced their opinions as the only ones 
which the Holy Ghost had dictated. 

To conclude, the incredulous, are not those, who alone 
find the writings of Paul obscure and unintelligible, as we 
have seen in the the case of St. Peter already quoted. If 
this prince of the Apostles founded difficulties in the works 
of St. Paul, what shall we think of the presumption of mo- 
dern commentators when they pretend to explain to us, the 
enigmatical and confused passages that we meet with in the 
epistles of this doctor of the Gentiles. 



CHAP. XXI. 

Of the Holy Ghost, and Divine Inspiration. 

It would however have been wiser in the first instance to 
examine into the degree of confidence due to the real or pre- 
tended writings of this wonderful man, whose history we 
have been developing. Before disputing it would have 



THE LIFE OF ST. PAUL. 61 

been better to have been certain of the authority of an 
Apostle whose works appear to us infallible only on his own. 
word, or on that of the written to whom we owe the Acts of 
the Apostles. In fact we are told that St. Paul was inspired 
by the Holy Ghost. But what is the Holy Ghost? How 
can it inspire a man? What certainty have we that it has 
ever inspired any one? By what signs shall we distinguish 
these invisible inspirations? As it is upon these inspirations 
only that the Christion religion is established, these ques- 
tions are well worth the trouble of being discussed. 

There is no mention made of the Holy Ghost in the Old 
Testament; there is mention made of the spirit of the Lord, 
which possessed, or resided in the prophets, and other holy 
personages charged w^ith speaking to the Jewish people; 
but in no place of the Old Testament is the Holy Ghost 
announced as a being distinct from the Divinity, it is only in 
the New Testament that we find this metaphysical being 
deified, or this divine breath personified. In fact it is only 
in the history of Jesus Christ, that the Holy Ghost begins 
to perform a part; we there find him commissioned to 
overshadow Mary, and produce the savour of the world, 
who was, as we are told, begotten by the operation of the 
Holy Ghost. 

This same Holy Ghost descended in the form of a dove 
upon Jesus Christ at the moment of his baptism in the river 
Jordan by John the Baptist. In the Gospel according to 
St. John, the author of which appears to have drawn his ideas 
from the platonic philosophy, there is much talk of the Holy 
Ghost which is never defined. Jesus promises to send him 
to the disciples when he himself shall have left them. This 
spirit is described under term of the Paraclete or Comforter. 
Jesus assures them, that he proceeded from the father, and 
that he will send him on the part of the father, to bear wit- 
ness of him Jesus. Further on he promises them, that when 
this spirit shall come, he shall guide them into all truth. 

According to the promise of Jesus, this comforter did in 
fact descend upon the i^postles at the feast of Pentecost, see 
Acts xi. ver. 2, 3, 13. Many were astonished at the pro- 
digy there related, but it seems not to have convinced others, 
who had probably less faith than the first. These sceptics 
pretended that the inspired Apostles were drunken with 
new wine. But Peter filled vfith the spirit, made them a 
long prophetic harangue; which, according to the author of 
the Acts, produced a great effect upon many of his hearers, 
who were converted upon the spot. 



62 CRTTICi\L EXAMINATION OF 

In consequence of the descent of the Holy Ghost,, the 
Apostles received the power, not only of speaking divers 
tongues, but likewise of driving out devils and performing 
miracles. However we do not find by their history, though 
written by one favourable to their cause, that the Holy 
Ghost gave them the power to cast out the demon of incre- 
dulity, especially from the minds of the Jews ; these resisted 
constantly the Holy Ghost and made those who said they 
were filled with it, to suffer cruel treatment. 

The Apostles had not only received the Holy Ghost, but 
they had also received the power of communicating it to 
others by the imposition of hands. It is difficult, without a 
submissive faith, to conceive a clear idea of this invisible 
communication of the Holy Ghost, or the manner in which 
an indivisible spirit, divides itself among so many different 
individuals. However it is not allowed us to doubt that 
this transmission of the Holy Ghost has been perpetuated 
down from the Apostles to our time. It is still by imposi- 
tion of hands that the guids of the Christian Church receive 
the Holy Ghost, and the right to teach. If our bishops and 
and priests who represent in our eyes the Apostles and dis- 
ciples, have not received the gift of tongues and miracles 
they have, at least, received the faculty of pretending, that the < 
Hol}^ Ghost does not cease to illuminate them, in their fre- 
quently contradictory decisions, which ought to be regarded 
as a great prodigy. 

A Christian would run the risk of being damned if he 
should dare to doubt, that the Holy Ghost invisibly pre- 
sided in the church and will reside in the brains of its chiefs 
until the consummation of all things. What can be more 
calculated to inspire us with regard and respect for those, 
who themselves assure us, that they are the living temples 
of the Holy Ghost. In gratitude for these advantages 
which the Holy Ghost procured to the ministers of the 
Christian religion, they felt themselves bound to deify him. 
It was the least they could do for a being from whom their 
power clearly emanated. In fact if the Holy Ghost, charged 
with inspiring the church had not been a God, the autho- 
rity of the church might have been contested. But it bei-ng 
clearly decided, that the Holy Ghost is a God, men are 
no longer permitted to dispute his rights; it only remains to 
them to subscribe blindly to the decisions of those whom 
he has chosen for his organs; to contradict them, would be 
to revolt against God. 

We see then how important it was to the heads of the 



THE LIFE OF ST. PAUL. 63 

church to apotheosise the Holy Ghost. It was necessary 
to make him a God at any rate; otherwise the church would 
not have been infallible, its infallibility being founded, 
solely on the continued inspirations of the Holy Ghost; and 
that he himself should be infallible, it was necessary that he 
should be a God. Thus thechurch has wisely made the God 
which makes her infallible. 

However useful this deification was to the church, it was 
attended with some difficulties. _In fact how could they 
reconcile this new God, this Mercury, this messenger of the 
father and son, with the unity of God? To cut short all dis- 
pute upon so important a matter, the heads of the church 
decided that the Holy Ghost proceeded from the father and 
son, and yet made but one God with them. They closed 
the mouths of those who cried out against this unintelligi- 
ble oracle, by saying it was a mystery, that man was made 
to adore and believe, without being able to comprehend; 
they added that the church was infallible had thus decided, 
that being inspired by the Holy Ghost (z. e. by a God) it 
was impossible to avoid believing that she had the right to 
decide, that the Holy Ghost was a God. 

This is sufficient to show us upon what the authority of 
church, and the divinity of the Holy Ghost is founded. The 
church has deified the Holy Ghost, and the divinity of the 
Holy Ghost serves as the basis of the authority of the church. 
We thus see the true foundations of Ecclesiastical power ; 
we see the solidity of the titles of the church, we see the 
true origin of the mystery of the trinity, now held in such 
veneration by the faithful. In short we see what we ought 
to think of the inspirations of the Holy Ghost from the 
time of its origin until now. 



CHAP. XXII. 

Of the Inspiration of the Prophets of the Old Testament. 

It does not appear, as we have already observed, that the 
Jews had any precise ideas of the Holy Ghost similar to 
those of the Christian theologians. Moreover there is rea- 
son to believe, that the Apostles had not yet imagined such- 
subtle notions of it, as the church has invented since their 
time. Amongst the Hebrews, every man who, during his 
sleep, had dreams, every enthusiast who had, or pretended 
to have visions, believed himself inspired by the Lord, or at 
least gave himself out as such. He regarded the fancies of 



64 CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF 

his brain, as warnings from heaven; he delivered hispiousnon- 
sense as oracles to credulous hearers, who did not doubt for 
an instant, that the unintelligible delirium of these harangues, 
was the effect of some divine illumination from the Almighty. 
As in dreams, madness, in ebriation, in enthusiasm, man does 
not appear master of himself, they believed that what he ut- 
tered in these divers states must, of necessity, spring from 
some supernatural force acting in him, without his know- 
ledge, and in spite of himself; the sentences and discourse, 
which issued from his mouth, were regarded as inspirations 
from on high, and received as divine commands. ' Their ob- 
scurity only served to excite curiosity, redouble terror, and 
confuse the imagination. It was supposed that God, who 
spoke by these demoniacs, did not choose to express himself 
in a clearer manner. 

These reflections founded upon the nature of credulous, 
ignorant, and superstious men, may serve to fix our ideas of 
so many prophets and jugglers, that we see play such a pro- 
minent part, not only in Jewish history, but in ail Pagan 
antiquity, and even among all savage and uninformed peo- 
ple that are now scattered over the globe. The trade of 
prophesying, appears to have been very lucrative and re- 
spectable amongst the Jews, a people degraded by supersti- 
tion, and whose priests always took care to keep them in a 
state of profound ignorance, and credulity, weil-suited for 
the ends of those who sought to direct them after their own 
fancies. Whoever desired to gain the attention of the Jews, 
announced himself as inspired, threatened or promised them 
in the name of the Lord, prophesied to them of evils calcu- 
lated to intimidate, or of happy events which seduced them 
into belief. To draw the attention of the public, and fre- 
quently to produce revolutions in the state, it was enough 
for a prophet to say gravely, that the Lord had spoken to 
him; and assure them that heaven had intrusted him with 
its designs in a vision; thus the brains of the Jews were put 
into a fermentation. The Apostles desirous of establishing 
reform, or exciting a revolution, in men's minds, felt the ne- 
cessity of conforming to the prevailing laste of the nation. 
In consequence they erected themselves into prophets, gave 
themselves out for inspired, spoke in an obscure manner, ut- 
tered oracles, predicted the end of the w^orld, they preached 
a messiah, they announced a kingdom in which their follow- 
ers w^ould enjoy a happiness, which their subjugated coun- 
try had long since been deprived of. In short to prove the 
truth of their predictions, and the legitimacy of their mis- 



THE LIFE OF ST. PAUL. 65 

sioD, they performed miracles, i. e. works calculated to as- 
tonish so credulous a people as the Jews. 

The Jews, however, in spite of all their ignorance, did 
not suffer themselves to be convinced by either the harangues 
and miracles of Jesus, nor by the preachings and prodigies 
of his Apostles. All their efforts failed against the hardness 
of heart of a people so often the dupe of the numberless in- 
spired who had so successfully deceived them. There is 
then reason to think that Jesus and his disciples did not per- 
form their part well, or else that in their time, the Jews be- 
come more cautious, had not so much faith as their ances- 
tors had formerly exhibited. Indeed we do not find that 
the first preachers of Christianity made much impression 
upon their fellow^ citizens; they had much more success, 
and Paul especially amongst idolators, for whom their enthu- 
siastic harangues^ their preachings, and miracles was a more 
novel spectacle. Amongst the Gentiles preaching was an 
unknown thing, the people was held in disdain by the priests; 
each formed such ideas of religion as he choose, there was 
no theological system that they were compelled to adopt; 
in short, with the exception of Esculapius, the Gods worked 
but few miracles for their vv^orshippers. 

Thus, as we have already observed, circumstances were 
favourable for the mission of our Apostle amongst the Gen- 
tiles; they were more disposed to listen than the Jews, and 
to regard him who performed such wonders before them, as 
an extraordinary man favoured by heaven. In fact St. Paul 
gave himself out for such. And how can we doubt the ve- 
racity of a man who performs miracles? It was then neces- 
sary to give him credit; and without having seen these mi- 
racles w^e believe the same thing, and especially his divine 
inspiration, upon the authority of the w^ritings, attributed to 
him, and upon the word of him who has transmitted to us 
an account of his actions in the Acts of the Apostles, works 
which the church enjoins us to regard as divinely inspired. 
It would be, I think, useless to make any long reflections 
on the validity of the titles of the church, and the right, that 
the writings which she has adopted have to the claim of di- 
vine inspiration. It is enough to remark, that if we admit 
those titles and rights, we have no reason to refuse also to 
admit those of any man, or body of men, which shall giye 
themselves out as divinely inspired. If, on the w^ord of Paul, 
we believe that he was inspired, why shall w^e not have the 
same deference for the word of Mahomet, who pretended 
to be the sent of the most high? If, after the decision of 
6 



GQ CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF 

the Christian church, we regard the books contained in the 
New Testament as dictated by the Holy Ghost; what right 
have we to refuse our assent to the decision of the body of 
Imans and Mollahs, that the Koran was revealed by the an- 
gel Gabriel to Mahomet? If it be permitted to one man, or 
body of men, to invest themselves with titles, and at the 
same time forbid the titles to be investigated, we shall be 
obliged to admit all the reveries, extravagancies, and fables 
that we see spread over the various countries of the earth. 
Priests every where show us books, which they say were in- 
spired by the divinity, and weak and silly people adore and 
and follow without examination books thus announced. 
i\Il religions in the world are founded Upon sacred books 
which contain the divine will, and whose truth is proved by 
miracles. 



CHAP. XXIII. 

Of the Descent of the Holy Ghost upon the Apostles, or their Divine 
Inspiration. 

If we may believe the author of the Acts of the Apostles, 
the disciples assembled at Jerusalem on the the day of Pen- 
tecost, were filled with the Holy Ghost. But by what sign 
shall we be sure that they were filled with the Holy Ghost? 
It is this that they began to speak divers languages. But do 
these various languages prove the presence of the Holy 
Ghost? Could not the disciples of Jesus speak these lan- 
guages naturally? However the Jews who had come from 
the different povinces of Asia to Jerusalem to celebrate the 
feast all understood Hebrew, since it was the language in 
which their law was written; nothing more then was requi- 
site but to speak Hebrew, in order to be understood by all 
of them; we cannot suppose that men assembled at Jerusa- 
lem to celebrate the Pentecost were Gentiles. That granted 
of what use was the gift tongues? In supposing that among 
the Jews there were some who only understood Greek, 
which was at that time universal over all Asia, it is very 
possible that without a miracle, some of the disciples or 
Apostles, might know^ this language by the aid of which 
they could make themselves understood in most of the pro- 
vinces mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles. 

There is then reason for believing, that the Apostles and 
disciples were on this occasion desirous of passing for in- 
spired. With this view, according to the practice of the di- 



THE LIFE OF ST. PAUL. 67 

viners and prophets amongst the Jews, they made noises 
contortions, cries, &c., and produced an extravagant caco- 
phony, which many well disposed persons mistook for un- 
doubted signs of inspiration, while those who were less cre- 
dulous took them for certain proofs of drunkenness or folly. 
But St. Peter justified them, and showed that what they re- 
ceived to be extravagancies ought to be considered as proofs 
of inspiration. This h^e confirmed by quoting a prophecy of 
the prophet Joel, (see Acts of Apostles, chap. ii. ver. 17.) 

But the question at issue is, whether visions, dreams, extra- 
vagancies, &c. are signs of divine inspiration. It is true 
that from the contents of the books, which Christians regard 
as dictated by the Holy Ghost, and examining the nonsense 
and contradictions fpund in the writings of St Paul, we 
should be tempted to believe so. If the absence of reason, 
probability, logic, and harmony, is the distinguishing mark 
of divine inspiration, we cannot deny that St. Paul has proved 
himself, by his writings, to have been divinely inspired. 

However at this rate nothing can be more easy than to 
pass for inspired. If madness be a sufficient qualification to 
cause a man to be regarded as one filled with the Holy 
Ghost, there are many men who have just pretensions to this 
faculty. If we doubt it they have only to reply gravely 
that God hath confounded the wisdom of the wise; that our 
rebellious reason ought to be submissive, that the human 
mind becomes perverted by reasoning. Such is however 
the language continually repeated by the supporters of St. 
Paul and Christianity. According to them, wisdom is fol- 
ly, reason an uncertain guide, common sense useless, and 
contradictions are impenetrable mysteries, which we must 
adore in silence; and when our mind loses itself in the abyss 
of folly and imposture, they cry out with their great Apos- 
tle: " Ohl the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and 
knowledge of God! Plow unsearchable are his ways, and 
his judgments past finding out!" A lucky quibble of which 
our theologians avail themselves with success, in order to es- 
cape from the embarrassment into which they are thro v\'n by 
any reasoning on the ways of providence. 

It is thus that those who pretend to inspiration have the 
boldness to outrage the Divinity, and make the Holy Ghost 
the accomplice of their blasphemies. When they find it im- 
possible to escape from the labyrinth, in to which impostures 
and ill-contrived fables have led them, they make God re- 
sponsible for their extravagancies; they pretend that their 
own follies are the effects of divine wisdom, they term their 



68 CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF 

own perplexities mysteries; and assent that the author of 
reason is at the same time, the enemy of reason. 

Men however are not shocked by these impious proposi- 
tions. Accustomed to regard St. Paul as inspired, it never 
occurs to them that so great a Saint may blaspheme. But 
what authority have Christians for their high opinion of St. 
Paul?. It is the Acts of the Apostles, that is to say upon the 
suspected testimony of a partizan of Paul's sect, w^ho has 
compiled a history of his hero, filled with contradictions, 
but embellished with prodigies and fable, which however 
serve to establish his romance. But what proofs have we 
of these miracles themselves? We have no other evidence 
than the word of the Romancer himself confirmed by the 
authority of the church, i. e. of a body of men interested in 
establishing the fable. 

It is true that we have in addition the testimony of St. 
Paul himself, to whom are attributed the epistles in which 
are found a great number of details of his life. But does 
this Apostle agree with his historian in bis own narrative? 
No, doubtless, they vary materially in many circumstances, 
and frequently contradict each other in the most positive 
manner. Who then shall we find to reconcile them, and 
show us w^hat w^e ought to think of a history so dififerently 
related? The church. But what is the church? A body 
composed of the spiritual guides of the Christians. Have 
these guides been witnesses of the actions and miracles so 
differently related by Paul and his historian? INo; they 
know nothing of them but by a tradition, contested even in 
the times of the first Christians, but since confirmed by a re- 
velation of the Holy Ghost, who never, according to them, 
ceases to enlighten his church. How are we to know^ if the 
church is continually inspired? She herself says so, and 
there is, she says, the greatest danger in doubting this. It 
would be to resist the Holy Ghost who is identified with 
the church, and who makes common cause with her; a 
crime which will never be forgiven either in this world or 
in the next. Of all sins the most unpardonable is to re- 
sist the clergy. 



CHAP. XXIV. 

General reflections on tlie foundations of Christian Faith, and on the 
Causes of Credulity. 

These then are the only foundations of faith! Christians 
are obliged to believe that St. Paul was neither an enthusiast 



THE LIFE OF ST. PAUL. 69 

nor a cheat, because the church has decided that he was di- 
vinely inspired: the church has decided this important point 
of belief, according to the Acts of the Apostles and epistles, 
which, as we have shown, were both rejected by many sects 
of the primitive Christians, and which, as we have proved 
in the course of this work, are filled with contradictions and 
absurdities. 

Nevertheless no Christian now dares to doubt of the au- 
thenticity of these books. These works are regarded as sa- 
cred by the universal church, by Christians of all sects, who 
with the exception notwithstanding of some considerable 
and important variations, read them in the same manner and 
entertain for them the same veneration. What can we op- 
pose to this unanimity? The example of Mahomet. This 
prophet who is at this day equally revered by ail sects of 
Mussulmen, was at first regarded as an impostor at Mecca, 
whence he was compelled to fiy. His Koran now become 
the rule and code of a clergy, supported by princes and pow- 
erful nations, was at first considered as a tissue of fables 
compiled by imposture. This unanimity of the Mahometans, 
in acknowledging the sanctity of Mahomet, and the divinity 
of the Koran proves no more in their favour, than the agree- 
ment of all sects of Christians in admitting the Saintship of 
Paul, and the inspiration of his writings, proves in favour of 
the Apostle and his wonderful epistles. 

It is the property of habit to change the appearance of 
things, men by degrees become familiar with that which at 
first disgusted them; time is able to confound truth and 
falsehood ; clearly proved deceptions, finish by becoming 
undoubted facts to the ignorant, the idle, and those either too 
much occupied, or involved in dissipation to examine, and 
these are the majority of mankind. The most palpable im- 
posture when it has existed a length of time, acquires a so- 
lidity which nothing can shake: that which has been believ- 
ed by many for ages appears to have a real foundation, and 
to have at least a claim to probability. When once time has 
obliterated the traces of imposture, they are difficult to de- 
tect, and most men find it easier to stick to received opi- 
nions than to undergo the painful task of examining what 
they ought to think. 

Such are the true causes of the indolence that men gene- 
rally show, as often as they are called upon to give a reason 
for their religious notions, they are contented io follow the 
current. Besides when prejudice is supported by force, and 
becomes necessary to the interests of a powerfirl body, it is 



70 CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF 

daDgerous to combat it, and few men have the courage to 
oppose deceptions, approved by the world, and authorised 
by the governing powers. 

On the other hand error, when habitual, passes for truth, 
and is equally agreable. We hold fast to our vices and pre- 
judices, the virtues and opinions which are opposed to them, 
appear ridiculous or disagreeable. It is this natural dispo- 
sition of the human species, which, by little and little, im- 
bues nations with the most extravagant opinions, absurd fa- 
bles, and ill-digested systems. 

No artifice was ever better imagined, nor trick was ever 
more calculated to deceive the vulgar than that of divine in- 
spiration. Upon this is founded all the religions in the world ; 
it is to this marvellous invention that the priests of the 
whole earth are indebted for their authority, their riches, 
and their existence. When a man tells us, that he is divinely 
inspired, it is difficult for most men to ascertain whether he 
lie, or speak the truth. God never contradicts those who 
make him speak, on the contrary those impostors who de- 
ceive in his name generally perform miracles and prodigies, 
and these miracles and prodigies, are to the short sighted 
multitude undoubted signs of divine favor. 

Shall we then judge those who are inspired by their con- 
duct? They generally take care to impose on us by their dis- 
interestedness, patience, and mildness of behaviour, and it can 
hardly be supposed that such moderate men could have 
formed the design of deceiving or gaining power. It is 
only when they have gentl}^ insinuated themselves into men's 
minds, that we find ambition, avarice, .and passions of the 
missionary develope themselves: it is after having won over 
the multitude, that their empire discovers itself, and they 
exact with pride, the tribute and respect due to the organs 
of heaven, and the messengers of the most high. 

These are the means by which Christianity has been esta- 
blished, the manoeuvres have been practised by our great 
Apostle, and all those who have assisted in disseminating 
his doctrine. His own experience often made Paul sensible, 
that his pride and fiery disposition, were frequently obstacles 
to his mission; thus we see him sometimes do a violence to 
his character, take the air of mildness and humility, so 
much better suited, to insinuate into mens good opinions 
than arrogance and pride. He only assumes the tone of the 
master, when he knows his ground; then he threatens, thun- 
ders, and displays his authority. Does a dispute arise be- 
tween himself and an associate? He resists him to his face; 



THE LIFE OF ST. PAUL. 71 

he makes the church feel how necessary he is to the cause; 
and avails himself of it, to exhibit his authority. 

His example has been at all times faithfully followed by 
the heads of the Christian religion. Humble, mild, patient, 
tolerant, and disinterested whenever they have been weak, 
they become haughty, quarrelsome, intolerant, avaricious, 
and rebellious subjects to princes whenever they were cer- 
tain of their empire over the people. It was then that they 
prescribed laws, crushed their enemies, plundered the peo- 
ple, and caused kings to tremble at the name of the God 
whose interpreters they declared themselves to be. 

The heads of the Christian religion have at all times made 
those opinions, most comfortable to their own interest pass 
for divine oracles. The Holy Ghost has had no other 
function, than to serve for a cloak to their intrigues, pas- 
sions, and pretensions. The works of our Apostle furnished 
quarrelsome priests with arguments for injuring each other; 
his disjointed reveries, his obscure mysteries, and his ambi- 
guous oracles, were an arsenal whence the most opposite 
parties, procured arms to combat incessantly. In short the 
writings inspired by a God who was desirous of instructing 
mankind, have only served to plunge nations in darkness. 
Guides enlightened by the Holy Ghost saw no clearei- than 
the ignorant, into mysteries, they continually presented to 
them by an unintelligible system. These great doctors were 
agreed upou nothing, each one sought to gain adherents 
whom he excited against the enemies of his own opinions, 
which he regarded as those only approved by heaven. 
Thence arose animosities, hatred, persecutions, and wars, 
which have a thousand times spread trouble and desolation 
among Christians, blind enough to follow men who pretend- 
ed to be led by the Holy Ghost, while it was evident, that 
the only spirit which inspired them, was that of pride, ambi- 
tion, obstinacy, vengeance, avarice, and rebellion. 



CONCLUSION. 

Let us then be careful, oh! my friends, of allowing ourselves 
to be guided by inspired persons. Deceivers, or enthusiasts, 
they will only lead us into errors destructive of our peace. 
Let us consult reason, so decried by men, whose interest 
it is to extinguish a light which is able to show us the 
plots of their dark policy, this reason will inform us that 
contradictory works do not merit our belief; that a tur- 



72 CRITICAL EXAMINATTON,'&C. 

bulent, ambitious and enthusiastic Apostle, may have been 
a very useful Saint to the church, and a very bad citizen. 
This reason vrill convince us, that a God filled with wisdom 
could never inspire men with systems, in which folly is the 
most prominent feature; that a God who is the author of 
reason could never have called for its immolation, before 
the shrine of fable, and pretended mystery incapable of pro- 
ducing any thing but evil and dissension upon the earth. 
Let us be just, benevolent, peaceable, let us leave to St. 
Paul, and to those who take him for a model, their lofty 
ambition, their turbulent fanaticism, their obstinate vanity, 
their persecuting spirit, and above all things their bitter zeal, 
which they term an interest for the salvation of souls. Let us 
show to all men not an evangelic charity which is converted 
into fury and hatred, but a real charity which inspires us 
with love, peace, indulgence, and humanity. May this 
charity so much boasted of, and so little practised, by St. 
Paul and his successors, be the rule of our conduct, and the 
standard of our judgments on men and their opinions. Ex- 
amine all things, and hold fast that which is good. Let us 
not be blinded by the prejudices, of infancy, of habit, or of 
authority. Let us not be imposed upon by the pompous 
names of Paul, of Cephas, or of Apollos; but let us seek 
the truth and follow reason, which can never lead astray, 
nor render us troublesome members of society. 



fINIS. 



Printed and Published by R. Carlile, 5, Water Lane, Fleet Street. 



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